


Small Surprises

by paintedpineapple



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babies, Cas and Kids, Dean and Cas are adorable, Dean and Feelings, Dean and Kids, Fluff, Humor, Kid Fic, M/M, Maybe a tiny little bit of angst, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-04-17 07:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4658256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paintedpineapple/pseuds/paintedpineapple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. When a baby girl turns up on the doorstep of the bunker, Dean and Cas are thrown headfirst into being her caretakers while Sam works to solve her parents murder. It's only meant to be temporary but she quickly claims a soft spot in their hearts. Will they be able to part with her when the time comes? Or will one little girl bring them closer than they ever imagined?</p><p> *****</p><p>"Dean," Cas whispered in a daze, "that is a baby."<br/>"Yes, Cas. Yes it is." Dean whispered back just as dumbly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Special Delivery

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to the Fluff Fest! This is a fic I have been working on for a little while now and I finally have a few chapters so I decided to start posting it. Here's the deal with this- I am not 100% sure how long this fic is going to be or how long it is going to take to complete. I plan on updating regularly and I have no intention of abandoning it but I just wanted to give you the heads up that we are in for a wild (and adorable) ride. Yee-haw!
> 
> ***Side note*** This AU is basically the same as the series except Sam never played meat suit to Gadreel and there is no Abbadon/Mark of Cain scenario. Basically I took out all the icky stuff no one likes to deal with because I am the boss of this fic (haha, yeah right) and I do what I want. 
> 
> PS- I know basically nothing about babies so I had to do significant highly scientific research for this fic (re- I did some internetting.) You're welcome.
> 
> Please comment and leave kudos! It is my lifeblood!
> 
> *****Disclaimer- I don't own Supernatural but if you have a spare Dean and Cas just lying around I will gladly take them off your hands ;)

Lou Gerritt knew just the place to send her. That didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. If there was any sort of celestial or demonic shit going on you could be sure those two knuckleheads were somehow involved. They had an unfortunate way of attracting that kind of thing like two human shaped magnets for the supernatural. He had to give credit where it was due though- they somehow always managed to clean up their messes. Almost had a knack for getting outta tight fixes. He also knew that if it was a question of ensuring that she would be looked after there was really no place safer. It wasn't exactly a secret that they holed up in that bomb shelter or whatever you wanted to call it but no one outside of a select few really knew its exact location and rumor had it that the place was so fortified that nothing got in or out unless it was either invited or already dead.

Besides, Bobby Singer had always held them in high regard and he had never been one to bestow praise even if it was deserved. Of course many would say that Bobby had also always been an old drunk but he had been invaluable manning the phones in the hunting community. He had also saved the bacon of just about any hunter you talked to on some occasion or other, Lou included.

No, Bobby had known his shit and if he thought those two boys could take care of business Lou was inclined to believe him. He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. He would just have to call Garth and have him deliver her to their doorstep. It wasn't an incredibly appealing option but it was the best one he had until they could get this whole mess sorted out.

* * * * *

Dean Winchester woke from a dead sleep staring up at the ceiling. He took a moment to drink in his surroundings. His dresser with what few photos he had propped up. His desk. His weapons displayed on the wall. His bed. His room. He would never get tired of waking up here in the bunker. He stretched and yawned, cracking his knuckles and back as he swung his feet over the side of the bed. He recoiled slightly as they hit the cold floor. Slowly he sniffed the air. Coffee. Sammy must have gotten up early and made some. Today was going to be a good day. He threw on an old black t-shirt and a pair of ratty sweatpants and padded down the hall. As he walked past the living room he stopped for a moment to take in the destruction that surely waited there. He was not disappointed. There, in front of the tv, headset on and hands clenching a video game controller, was Kevin. At least nine empty energy drink cans were scattered around him. With his dead-eyed stare glued to the tv and his thumbs sluggishly manipulating the controller he looked more like a zombie than a living breathing person. Dean shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand across his still tired eyes, knowing that he could stand there all day and still go completely unnoticed. He was considering saying something when the smell of coffee beckoned again. Priorities.  
Sam was sitting at the table clad in flannel pajama pants and t-shirt absently working on a bowl of cereal and flipping through a book.  
"Hey, man, I got some bad news" Dean said scratchily as he walked over to the cupboard for a mug. His voice hadn’t yet got the memo that his body was awake now.

"Good morning to you, too" Sam replied with a raised eyebrow. "What bad news?"

"Well, it pains me to say this, " Dean turned and put his hand over his heart with a deep sigh ," But I think we're gonna have to gank Kevin."  
Sam snorted into the coffee mug he had raised to his lips. "Oh yeah, I saw he's one of the undead now. I think he's been there all night."

Dean smirked as he poured coffee into his mug."Did you see all the Red Bull cans? What a wuss. Dude can't hang. You'd think after all the shit we get into he'd be used to all-nighters."

Sam chuckled softly as Dean walked over to the table, mug in one hand, bowl and spoon in the other. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when they heard a padding outside the kitchen door.

"Brace yourself" Dean said under his breath with a knowing look as he reached for the open cereal box on the table.

In walked, or more accurately, shuffled, Castiel, former angel of the Lord and Active Despiser of Mornings. He had a blanket pulled tight over the top of his head and around himself with a small tuft of severely mussed hair peeking out the hole he'd left for his face. He slowly inched forward, blue eyes wincing against the harsh kitchen light. When he reached the kitchen table he somehow managed to pull out a chair, plop down on it, and drop his face smack down on the table with a thud, all without relinquishing his iron grip on the blanket.

"Well," said Dean with a grin, "Talk about the living dead." He pushed his coffee mug over to Cas as Sam made a half-hearted attempt to stop his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"Here ya go Sunshine. You need this more than I do" Dean said as he got up from the table and poured himself a new cup of coffee.

Ever since Cas had shown up at the bunker totally human and without anywhere else to go, he had taken a strong and unfavorable stance against mornings. Dean would certainly not call himself a morning person either (not like Sam, the early rising weirdo) but nobody had a monopoly on morning grumpiness like Cas. Dean couldn't really blame him though. Cas was new to the world of sleep. That also meant that dreaming was a new experience for him as well, and man, had he had some weird ones. Not bad-weird, not as far as Dean knew, just weird-weird. That, coupled with the uncharted terrain of sleep and his occasional frustration with the growing number of human things he was having to learn had made Castiel perhaps not the most pleasant individual in the morning. As Dean sat back down at the table, he and Sam watched with matching bemused expressions as one sluggish hand snaked out of the covers and started to feel around the side of the table, presumably for the sugar. Apparently lifting his face off the table was not on Cas's agenda today. Clumsily he felt around the table, grunting when he knocked the napkin holder over, hands finally closing around the sugar shaker. He managed to get it over to the coffee mug without ever picking his head up and turned it upside-down over the mug. Dean's look of amusement turned to disgust as he watched what had to easily be five spoonfuls of sugar sift into the mug. It wasn't totally unexpected; Cas liked his coffee with a side of diabetes in the morning, but just because he knew it was coming didn't make Dean's stomach turn any less.

Dean turned to Sam instead. "And you have the nerve to lecture me about my health? Meanwhile Cas is allowed to sit here and turn himself into a premature Wilford Brimley?"

Sam just shrugged. "Hey man, if you want to give him a talk about blood sugar right now be my guest. I know when to pick my battles."

Sam had a point. It was then that Cas slowly and begrudgingly raised his head off the table as though it had just occurred to him that he might have to lift his face if he wanted to actually drink the sugary monstrosity he had created. He lifted the mug to his lips closing his eyes in appreciation as the coffee met his tongue.

"Should me and Sam leave you and the coffee alone for a moment" Dean asked, a smirk on his lips. Cas just grunted.

"Hey man, if you're so tired go back to bed. It's not like we have a shit-ton of stuff to do today. " Dean said raising a spoonful of cereal to his lips.

"Can't", Cas replied, his gravelly voice deeper than usual due to the early hour, "The horses will eat my face."

Dean choked on his cereal and was in serious danger of milk coming out his nose. He tried desperately to regain some of his composure and glared as Sam just sat there and laughed at his misfortune. What a bitch. Once he was able to speak he turned to Cas, trying to keep his voice and features neutral. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Horses, Dean," Cas replied testily as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They wanted to eat my face. The horses in my dream." he added with a scowl seeing Dean's blank expression.

"Oh, right. Of course. Those horses," Dean replied sarcastically shaking his head, "Cas, man, you have some weird ass dreams. Are you sure you haven't been watching too much Animal Planet?" He looked to Sam for back-up but Sam wasn't paying attention.

Instead he was staring at his phone with a confused expression.

"Sam. What is it?" Dean asked, Cas's strange homicidal equine dreams temporarily forgotten.

"It's Garth," Sam said, "It's really weird. He texted and says he just left something at the bunker door. I tried texting him back why he didn't stick around and deliver it himself but he just said to go see it first. He won't tell me what it is."

Dean rolled his eyes." They all come here. Why do they all come here? C'mon we better go see what it is. Probably some kinda cursed object thing some other hunter found and they don't wanna deal with it so they're dumping it on us." He got up from the table with Sam and the two of them headed out of the kitchen. Cas winced at the noise of their chairs scraping the floor when they got up but after a minute his curiosity got the better of him and he followed them out, blanket and all.

As they walked to the door Dean grumbled. "This started out being such a good day and now there's probably some sort of shit out there for us to clean up. One damn day, is that too much to ask? And I'll tell you another thing Sammy, if it's another one of those godforsaken rabbit's feet they can keep it. Hell if we're gonna get mixed up in that shit show again”, he complained knowing full well that if it was a rabbit's foot of course they would deal with it because who was he kidding? This was just another day in the life of Sam and Dean Winchester. As they drew near the door he noticed that once again curiosity had got the cat and Cas had decided to tag along. He smiled in spite of himself. Cas's cover had slipped off his head and his hair was beyond out of control. Dean shook his head. What a weirdo.

Sam had reached the door first and had one hand resting on the handle. "You ready for this" he asked turning back to Dean.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get it over with."

Sam turned the handle, pulled the heavy door open, and looked down.

Dean looked but couldn't see what was there since his gargantuan “little” brother was blocking the view. "Hey, Sasquatch, move over. What is it?"

Sam didn't budge. He just stood there frozen in the doorway. Then very slowly he turned his head, his eyes wide in a look of pure terror.

Dean frowned with concern. Apart from clowns, Sam wasn't easily shaken. You couldn't be in their line of work. Whatever it was, it must be pretty bad to get to Sam like that. "Shit man, what is it?"

Numbly Sam moved to the side. Dean stepped forward. In the back of his mind he was dimly aware of Cas craning over his shoulder to get a look but he wasn't really focused on that because when he looked down on the doorstep the rest of his mind went blank.

There, nestled in a basket on the ground and lightly covered by a blanket, was a sleeping baby girl.

*****

At least Dean assumed it was a girl. She was wearing a lavender onesie if that was anything to go by. He felt something brush against his ankles and turned to see that Cas's blanket had pooled on the floor by his feet. Cas's eyes were as wide as Sam's, his face arranged in a look of terror that Dean hadn't seen since the time he'd tried to set Cas up with that call girl when they thought it was his last night alive. Evidentially, all it took to get Cas to relinquish his blanket in the morning was the shock of finding a baby on the doorstep. Dean turned back to the baby in question. She was nestled in her blankets fast asleep.

Suddenly Cas's face was very close to his. "Dean," Cas whispered in a daze, "that is a baby."

"Yes, Cas. Yes it is." Dean whispered back just as dumbly.

"Is it yours?"

"Uh no. I don't think so."

"Is it Sam's?"

"Yeaaaah….not likely." The insinuation that Sam didn’t often score did not go over his head and Dean could feel the power of Sam's bitch face without turning around.

"Okay. So. It's not mine. And no one knows that Kevin is even here so it can't be his. So….why is it here?" Cas asked.

Dean snapped out of his shock for a moment and rolled his eyes. "Gee, Cas let me consult my crystal ball for you. Hmmm….nope not getting anything. Answer is unclear, try back later."

Cas narrowed his eyes at the sarcasm. "Okay, well what do we do with it?"

"Uhhhh…" Dean stopped. Good question. What do we do with it?

Luckily Sam chose that moment to be the voice of reason. "I'll tell you what we do with it," he said. "We bring it inside and call Garth and find out what the hell is going on." Then he turned around and walked back toward the living room already dialing the phone.

It must have been his giant footsteps echoing in the hall that woke her because at that moment the baby girl opened her eyes and, confronted with the sight of two grown men staring down at her, promptly started crying. Dean and Cas just stood dumbly at the door for a moment and then seemed to come to. With a deep breath Dean bent down and gingerly lifted the baby out of the basket and held her to his chest, slightly swaying and whispering softly to calm her. Cas watched on in amazement as Dean talked to the baby girl and rubbed her back. As Dean stood there and whispered to her the tears slowly subsided and she calmed in Dean's arms. Soon she looked at Dean with big blue eyes and a sheepish grin as though she had no idea what all that crying business had been about.

"There see?", Dean whispered, "It's okay. That dumbass and his oversized feet woke you up, huh? It's okay, I've got you, let's go see what's going on here." Dean turned to Cas. "Hey, can you grab the basket and stuff? Garth has some explaining to do. Start of the week and already shit's gone to hell in a hand basket. Literally." Then he turned and started down the hall.

Cas just stood there watching for a moment. How strange. Dean was usually so gruff and sarcastic or hot-tempered. But there in the doorway he had been a totally different Dean. This Dean, Dean holding the baby, was soft-spoken and nurturing. Somehow he had known what to do to stop the baby crying. Cas thought that he knew every side to Dean. He had rebuilt him cell by cell when he had raised him from hell. But somehow Dean was still continuously surprising.

Humanity was continuously surprising. Cas's face scrunched in confusion as he felt an unfamiliar tug near his heart. The sight of Dean ambling down the hallway talking to the baby; Cas found he couldn't stop looking. It just seemed to fit somehow, almost as though it were meant to be. Slowly he tore his eyes away and pulled his blanket and the baby's basket up off the floor, following Dean and the baby down the hall.

Humanity. So, so surprising.


	2. Some Guys Are Just Douchebags

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Here's just a shorty little chapter! Enjoy!_
> 
> _Next chapter should be up sometime next week._
> 
> _If you comment and leave kudos I will give you a pony!*_
> 
> _*The author does not now or at any time in the future intend to fulfill pony promises. The author is kind of a jerk._
> 
> _*****Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural, I just wish I did._

When they got to the living room Kevin had vacated, leaving a wasteland of Red Bull cans and tangled controller cords behind. Sam was pacing in front of the couch angrily shouting at the phone, which was on speaker.

"Now if y'all would just let me explain I could make all of this business crystal clear for you," Garth's voice sounded from the phone. He was clearly trying to backpedal and with good reason.

"Yes, Garth do that," Sam fumed, "Do explain. Explain how you came to the brilliant idea of leaving a baby on our doorstep. Walk me through that whole decision-making process." Poor Garth. Dean almost felt bad for him. Almost. Sam was in full on bitch mode. If it hadn't been for how pissed off he also was at Garth, his heart would have gone out to the guy. Unfortunately, it was thanks to Garth that he now had a crying baby in his arms (well, Garth and Sam's shouting which had promptly undone all his damage control from mere minutes ago) so Dean's sympathy was running on short supply. For his part Cas was just sort of standing next to Dean taking everything in, an unusual soft expression on his face as he watched Dean swaying and trying to calm the baby while also listening to the conversation with Garth. Dean was just about to raise a quizzical eyebrow in the former angel's direction when he heard Garth come over the speakerphone stuttering out an explanation.

"Alright, Sam. Dean. I know y'all are upset. I understand that. But the thing is, is that I would never have sent her to ya unless it was absolutely necessary. Now see, cause what happened was I got a call from a compadre of mine, Lou Gerritt, you know he did that tulpa in Jacksonville a while back, and he was sort of in a pickle and thought you two fellas might be able to help us out."

"Okay Garth," Sam ground out, "Get to the point because I am still not seeing how this was absolutely necessary."

"Okay, okay, Grumpy Galoshes, jeez," Garth said as Sam pursed his lips to a thin line and tried very hard not to break the phone in half.

Dean had given up on soothing words and was now quietly humming "Don't Fear the Reaper" which, despite the questionable nature of that advice given their own experiences with reapers,  seemed to be having a somewhat calming effect. Cas just continued to stare.

"So here's the situation," Garth crackled over the poor reception. "About a week ago I got a call from this hunter couple Alan and Della Wright. They were hunting something up 'round St.Paul Minnesota. Didn't know much about what it was. Real strange goings on. People getting killed but no trace of a body, just blood. So I started doing some research but there wasn't a whole lot to go on. Just some folks reported hearing the voices of their dead relatives and there were a few deaths in the same families but no pattern except for the lack of bodies. So Al and Della say that the bulk of the deaths have been in the nearby woods and they tell me they're gonna go out that night to check things and call back in the morning."

"Let me guess," Sam said, "They never called back?"

"Bingo," replied Garth.

"I didn't hear a peep from 'em the next day and it seemed kinda strange since they had been out on a hunt that night so I called up Lou who’s also friends with ‘em. He goes over to the house and there’s not a hide or hair from 'em but there was about twelve messages on their answering machine from the baby sitter. Lou, he checked the woods where they were hunting and found their truck and a little ways from that a whole mess of blood. More than you could lose and get out alive. Few scraps of clothes. It was awful. Al and Della were real decent people. Good hunters too. Whatevers in those woods is bad news."

"So…are we to assume this baby is theirs?" Sam asked.

"Oh, yeah, baby Chloe. Well, Lou had heard about what was going on and we both figured that if whatevers up there is going after family members we had to get her away from there pronto. So Lou played Child Services and picked her up from the police station when the news about their deaths hit the fan," Garth finished, clearly proud of their forward thinking.

"Ok, Garth. I see what you're saying here but you still haven't answered my question. Why. Do. We. Have. Her." Sam spelled out.

"Oh, well that stroke of genius was actually Lou. See we needed to get her far away from St.Paul to somewhere safe where she could be protected. Apparently Lou was old hunting buddies with Bobby and when they talked Bobby was a-singin' your praises. And you know, partly its your own fault. Your reputation precedes you. Anyways he says to send her to you cause there's no place safer pretty much and here we are. Sorry to drop her and run. I figured you might put up a fight but we're kinda in a tough spot 'til we get this sorted and there was no time for dilly-dallying."  Sam's jaw was clenched and he looked to be at about the end of his rope.

"Garth," he grounded, "in future when you and your buddies have these 'strokes of genius' consider maybe talking it over with your victims first. What are we supposed to do with a baby? How long are we supposed to keep her? What are we supposed to do with her when this whole thing gets cleared up?"

"Oh Sam, c'mon. She's just a little bitty thing. She won't be any trouble at all. Poor Chloe. No mama or papa. We'll figure out what to do when this whole mess is behind us. For now just keep her safe and take care of her. Oh, one more thing. In order to pull off the whole Child Services deal we had to be convincing, you know, so Lou got her birth certificate and information outta Al's file drawer when the police were unawares. They're under the blanket in her basket. Man, you guys are gonna have so much fun. If I weren't working this case with Lou I'd be down there hanging out with Chloe . She would love Mr. Fizzles. Anyway's I gotta go. Sooner we can solve this thing, the sooner we can find a good home for Chloe. I'll keep you updated. See you on the flip flop."

"Garth! Garth wait!" Sam shouted but it was too late. Garth had already hung up. "Unbelievable," Sam said incredulously as he ran a hand through his hair. "What are we? Some sort of supernatural baby dumping ground?"

"What did he say her name was? Chloe?" Dean asked.

"Huh? Yeah…Chloe" Sam answered absently as he turned to Dean with a raised brow. He was holding Chloe like he'd been doing it his whole life. He also seemed significantly less phased by the whole turn of events than Sam felt.

"Dean. How the hell are you not freaking out right now? We have a baby to take care of. What are we supposed to do about this?"

"Look Sammy," Dean answered, "The way I see it we don't have a whole lot of options here. We can't just throw her to the wolves. I think we're just gonna have to grit our teeth and ride this one out. I didn't think when I woke up this morning that by 10 am I'd be standing in the living room in my pj's with a baby but here we are. Besides it beats the hell out of a cursed rabbit's foot and unlike you, baby's like me." Sam was about to launch a retort when suddenly Cas decided to join the conversation.

"I have located her documentation. It seems to be in order," he informed them while staring at a folder of papers he had pulled out of the bottom of the basket. "It appears her name is Chloe Ana Wright and she is six and a half months old." Dean turned to look at Cas as he spoke having temporarily forgotten that he had been standing there in an apparent baby trance. Or at least Dean assumed Cas had been staring at the baby. He figured the guy probably hadn't had too much exposure to miniature humans in his angel days. When he turned he was finally able to take in Cas's appearance since it was now sans blanket. He was wearing a pair of fluffy leopard print slippers (that was what happened when you turned a former angel loose in a department store with a fake credit card and told him to pick out his own clothes, apparently), a pair of black sweats, and a suspiciously familiar ACDC t-shirt. From the moment Cas moved in he had taken to wearing Dean's old t-shirts. He seemed to be under the impression that clothing was communal property, though he only ever borrowed Dean's shirts. Dean hadn't said anything about it (he didn't particularly mind) and, he figured after all of the recent changes in Cas's life he wasn't going to try to explain the finer points of shirt borrowing ethics to the guy. As he let his gaze drift up he saw Cas's dark hair in it's fantastically messy state. All in all, it was a very interesting ensemble. Dean took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Okay, well," he said, "I guess we're gonna have to get baby stuff. Who's gonna make the run?"

"You and Cas are," Sam said. "Something about this whole case seems fishy and somehow I don't really trust Garth and his friend to not get killed solving it. I'm gonna go up to St.Paul; see if I can get to the bottom of this before Garth gets digested to the bottom of some creature's stomach."

"Like hell you are," Dean retorted. "You can't just waltz on up to Minnesota and leave me here with two new humans and one nocturnal honor student! What am I supposed to do? Be Mr. Mom?"

"Dean, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," said Cas indignantly.

"Yeah, I see that Tim Gunn," Dean retorted giving him the  raised brow once-over. "C'mon Sam. You can't do this to me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sam said slyly, "I thought you were the baby whisperer. And Cas is right. Wardrobe choices aside, he's been pretty good at taking care of himself. You'll be fine. It's like Garth said- The sooner we get this sorted out, the sooner we can find a home for Mini-Me over there."

Dean grumbled but he knew Sam had a point. If someone was going to get themselves killed it would be Garth. It was better if Sam went up to help so that they could get this thing taken care of with as few casualties as possible.  "Fine," he said with resignation, "You go be Jack Bauer and I'll stay here and play Kindergarten Cop."

"Okay," Sam said, somewhat surprised at how easily he had won this argument. "I'll get dressed and packed and shove off. Oh, and Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"You know, a criticism of Cas's fashion choices is a bit rich coming from the same guy who wore a blanket to the wild west," Sam said with a shit eating grin.

"It was a serape!" Dean shouted at Sam's already retreating back. "Life Lesson number one, Chloe," he whispered to the little girl gurgling happily in his arms. "Some guys are just douche bags."


	3. We Don't Negotiate With Terrorists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hello beautiful glorious readers. A little bit of an early update for you. This is probably going to be the only one this week but it's cute so I trust it will set your hearts a-flutter._
> 
> _As always let me know what you think in the comments and leave kudos because it is what keeps me writing and also alive. I live on comments and kudos. You'd not believe what it saves on groceries._
> 
> _Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural but I'm interested in making an offer; have your people contact my people._

In no time at all Sam was dressed, packed, and on the road in one of the cars that had been in the bunker's underground garage. There had been a small argument over whether he should be allowed to take the Impala to Minnesota but Dean made it very clear that that was not going to happen. After he had left, Dean and Cas set themselves about getting ready to go out and gather baby supplies. With no idea how long it would take to wrap the whole case up they decided that it was best to plan for the long haul and just get everything they thought they could possibly need. Cas disappeared down the hall to his room to get dressed and reemerged wearing jeans, a navy t-shirt (one of his own for a change and one which really brought out the blue of his eyes, Dean was surprised to note), a pair of men's moccasins, and a black hoodie he had been thrilled to discover on their aforementioned shopping excursion because it had a pair of black wings stitched on the back with an outline in silver thread. It was one of his favorite items of clothing (after Dean's shirts and the leopard slippers) and he wore it frequently. Dean thought it probably reminded Cas of his own wings, which, he was sure, Cas missed everyday. Dean who was still in his pajamas holding a gurgling Chloe appraised the outfit and gave it a "not bad" nod of approval.

"Moccasins today huh?" he asked. Cas nodded.

"I am still finding shoelaces to be frustrating. Why are you not also dressed?" he replied, indicating Dean's sweatpants.

"Because I need you to hold Chloe while I change." Dean replied. Immediately Cas's face blanched and the look of abject terror from earlier returned.

"I really…really don't think that's a good idea Dean."

"C'mon man, it's not that hard. Just hold her.  She's not even heavy. It's fine."

"I'm sure she is quite light. That is not my concern. What if she starts crying again?"

"Dude, I'm just getting dressed. It'll only take a few minutes. I don't think you'll have enough time to cause any real harm if that's what you're worried about. Here." Dean replied as he stepped in front of Cas. Their arms brushed lightly as Dean handed Chloe over to Cas. Slowly and warily Cas scooped the little girl up, trying to mimic the way he had seen Dean hold her with one hand supporting her head and the other hugging her to his chest. He was surprised by how soft the whispy mess of brown hair on her tiny head was. Holding her, he was finally able to get a good look at her and was pleased to see a smile on her face. In spite of his initial trepidation he found himself smiling, too. Dean watched as Cas surveyed the baby in his arms and slowly smiled. Cas did not often smile in that unguarded genuine way and Dean was glad to see it. He seemed to relax into holding the baby and even started swaying slightly the way Dean had. The two of them, Chloe and Cas, were quite a sight. If you didn't know any better, they were almost a matching pair with their near identical brilliant blue eyes. Slowly Cas looked over at Dean, an expression of wonder on his face. Seeing Cas looking at him snapped Dean back to his senses. He suddenly realized that his heart was beating a bit faster than normal and he hadn't moved from where he had been standing when he had handed Chloe over. Dean's arms were crossed at his chest and they were nearly brushing Cas's again. He took a step back. This would definitely make him look like a hypocrite the next time he lectured Cas about personal space.

"Well, you've got this under control so I'm gonna go get changed" he said and then turned down the hall without further preamble. On the walk to his room he was mentally kicking himself. Things had been sort of…weird ever since Cas had shown up all full-human but what the hell was that? Getting all moony over another dude holding a baby? C'mon Dean get a grip, he chided himself as he walked into his room. And what was with the arm brushing, huh? That had been weird right? He shucked his sweats and pulled on a pair of jeans. Well, whatever. He wasn't going to make a big deal over it, he decided as he shrugged his hunter green jacket on over the black t-shirt. It was just a weird day. A baby had materialized on their doorstep. That counted as a weird day. He sat on the bed and started putting on his socks and boots. As he began tying the laces, though, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something had felt weird in that moment when their arms brushed. And when his heartbeat decided of it's own accord to speed up. And when he had watched that smile spread across Cas's face. It had been…no. He was just stressed out from the sudden responsibility of babysitting and was reading more into a weird moment than was necessary. As he walked back down the hall he decided to push it out of his mind. He was about to go shopping with a baby and a former angel. If there was ever a moment to have his wits about him it was now. He mentally steeled himself for the day ahead. All right, he thought. Let's do this.

 

 *****

They got as far as the Impala before they hit a snag. In retrospect, Dean felt like he maybe should have considered this, but given his limited experience in child rearing the oversight wasn't surprising. It took all of five seconds once they had reached the car, though, to see that there was a tiny problem.

"Where do we put her?" Cas asked nodding to the little girl in his arms (after his initial fear had passed, he was surprised to find that he was loathe to part with the tiny human who was, at the moment, determinedly trying to fit the corner of his hoodie in her mouth).

"Uhmmm….shit." Dean intelligently replied.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the television has led me to believe that babies get special chairs in automobiles."

"Yeah Cas, I got that part. I wasn't exactly expecting we'd be playing Mrs. Doubtfire today."

"I do not understand that reference."

"Ugh, never mind. Look- I'll drive, you sit in the back with Chloe."

"Why can't she sit up front with me?"

"Airbags, Cas. It's unsafe."

"Fine. But we should consider investing in a baby car chair today."

"Car seat. It's called a car seat." 

Castiel sighed. There were far too many things to learn about being human. He wasn't sure he would ever master it. Everyday brought something new. As soon as he felt he had got the hang of something there was a new something waiting. It was frustrating at times but it did make him appreciate humanity all the more. All the different ways to live, all the things they had created, it was just incredible. He shouldn't complain. It was his fault he was in this situation to begin with, anyway. If he hadn't been so gullible, and so easily swayed by Metatron he would still have his grace. At least this way he was paying his dues for what he had done. It just made him feel bad that the other angels were also suffering because of him. Suddenly he became aware of a hand waving in front of his face.

"Hey. Earth to space cadet. You wanna get in the car? Sometime today?" Dean said bringing Castiel back to the task at hand.

"Uh…yes. Sorry. I was thinking."

"Anything particular on your mind?" Dean asked resignedly.

"Oh no, it's nothing" Cas said as he slid into the back seat with Chloe.

Dean shrugged and shut the car door, then walked around to the driver's side. Well. This would be fun.

 

  *****

 

As they pulled into the parking lot of the nearby super center Dean steeled himself for the experience ahead. He was not a huge fan of shopping if he could help it and he didn't know the first thing about shopping for babies. Sure, he had helped with Lisa's baby niece when they had been together and there had been that time when he and Sam had inadvertently been babysitting a newborn shifter but that didn't….huh. Newborn shifter. That felt like so long ago. Dean briefly considered that maybe they were having a repeat of that fiasco now but promptly pushed it out of his head. On the surface it seemed like a somewhat similar situation. Six month old baby. Parents dead. But too many things didn't fit. Why would a shifter leave a baby behind if the whole point had been to kidnap it in the first place? Why kill so many people without babies? Why in the same families? And why lure people into the woods? Besides, Crowley had taken care of the Alpha Shifter. Dean ran a hand through his hair. There were never any easy answers were there? He found a spot and parked the car. Man, what he wouldn't give for a day off. But in this line of work there were very rarely any days off. You just had to keep going, trust your gut, and hope that you were doing the right thing. It was then that Dean was jerked out of his thoughts by a tapping on his window. He looked up to see Cas standing by the door with Chloe. He must have gotten out of the car while Dean thinking. Cas leaned down by the window and said in what Dean felt was a slightly smug tone of voice,

"Now who's the space cadet?" Dean narrowed his eyes. That sounded a lot like sarcasm. When had he learned sarcasm? Dean got out of the Impala and stood in front of Cas.

"Were you just using sarcasm on me?"

"Maybe." Cas smirked. He smirked!

"Who taught you sarcas…Oh. You know what? Never mind." As Dean walked to the cart corral he could hear Cas chuckling behind him. Evidentally, he and Sam had been better teachers in the ways of humanity than they had ever intended.

"Okay wiseass, put Chloe in the cart, let's get this over with." Dean said. Immediately Cas's face took on a look of slight disappointment.

"Can I just hold her instead?" he asked, a hopeful undertone to his voice. Dean sighed. Count on Cas to get attached after one short car ride. Although, if he were being honest with himself, he was sort of partial to the baby as well. Those blue eyes looked so much like Cas's. Not that that mattered. Dean rubbed a hand down his face tiredly. What the hell man. Get it together.

"Yeah, sure, fine." He answered and rolled his eyes to hide his amusement when Cas's face broke out in a wide grin.

 

  *****

They stood in the baby aisle, identical looks of disbelief on their faces. Really, there was about four aisles dedicated to baby things. Who knew that babies needed so much…stuff. Dean scratched his head. They had been standing there looking around for almost five minutes now. Cas had even gotten brazen enough to hold Chloe balanced at his hip. She didn't really seem to mind. She was continuing her quest to eat his hoodie. If Cas noticed he didn't say anything. He just continued staring at the aisle.

"Okay," Dean said, deciding to take some damn initiative here, "we know we need a car seat. Let's get one of those." They scanned the aisles and found there were a few different options. Dammit. Why couldn't anything be simple? After a few minutes of scrutiny, Dean picked the one that seemed the most likely to a.) protect the baby and b.) not cause him to pull his hair out trying to install it in the car. He put it in the cart. They proceeded in that fashion for a crib, high chair, and baby bouncy swing; just picking out whatever looked the safest and the easiest to put together. Dean was going to opt out of a playpen thinking that Chloe could just crawl around wherever they were in the bunker but thought better of it when Cas reminded him that there were weapons and other dangerous things literally everywhere in their living space. So, in went a playpen decorated in cartoon bees (Cas's choice).

As Dean surveyed the big ticket items he thanked his lucky stars that he had a wallet full of fake credit cards. How did people even afford babies? Next he moved on to baby food and diapers figuring the two pretty much went hand in hand. He put some of each in the cart (so many options. why?) along with baby wipes and powder and was just turning to go to the next aisle when he noticed Cas and Chloe were no longer behind him. Son of a bitch. Why did he think it would be a good idea to let Cas carry her? He knew the former angel had an unfortunate habit of wandering in stores. He pulled out his phone and dialed Cas's number, determined not to go on a wild goose chase all over the super center. Suddenly the strains of “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” chimed from two aisles over. It was the ringtone Sam had installed in Cas’s phone as a joke not realizing that Cas would take it as a compliment and keep it. Dean sighed and ended the call, making his way over. When he turned into the aisle all he could do was stop and raise his eyebrows. There was Cas in front of a rack of baby clothes holding Chloe directly out in front of himself as she happily batted her hands at different items on the rack. Intermittently, he would hoist her back on his hip and pull out some of the things she had hit, eyeballing them to determine if they would fit. He already had a pretty decent pile on top of the rack when Dean cleared his throat.

"What uh…what exactly are you doing?" he asked, one eyebrow still cocked questioningly.

"Oh, she's picking out clothes." Cas answered as though it were obvious.

"Uh-huh. That so?"

"Yes Dean. One's wardrobe is a very personal decision." Cas replied seriously.

"Oh sure, sure. I get that" Dean held back a snort of laughter somewhat successfully. After a cursory check of what Cas had laid out of the rack (it mostly seemed like it would fit) Dean grabbed a few miscellaneous things and was ready to check out when Cas stopped him.

"We forgot something." he stated plaintively.

"Cas look at this cart. I really don't think there is anything we could have missed. You have enough baby clothes in here for a whole orphanage and she's only going to outgrow them anyway."

"Not clothes Dean. She needs something to play with. Baby's have toys."

"Seriously Cas? I don't think she cares. She's been eating your hoodie for the last hour and a half and still hasn't realized it's not food. I think she'll be fine."

"That's not fair Dean," Cas said sternly,  "Kevin has video games. You have guns."

"Guns are not toys Cas. It's…you know. Serious. Man stuff."

Cas looked unimpressed. He raised an eyebrow. Dean made a mental note to watch himself. That smug bastard was getting sassier every day.

"Okay. Fine. Just hurry up. I wanna get outta here I swear, if another hell gate opens up it'll be in a super center."

Cas squinted his eyes as if questioning Dean's logic but sauntered into the toy section anyway. Toy selection was very much the same process as clothing selection had been only, due to the set-up of the hooks and the aisle, when Chloe batted her little hands on something she liked it usually slid off the hook and onto the floor where Dean would have to bend to pick it up. After picking up the eleventh item Dean was becoming suspicious that this wasn't entirely accidental and when he glanced over he saw Cas and Chloe sporting matching grins. The baby got a pass, she didn't know any better. But Cas, that bastard, he was deliberately fucking with Dean.

Dean narrowed his eyes at the plush rabbit toy he had just retrieved from the floor. Two could play that game. He straightened up as though nothing was amiss and walked up behind Castiel who was busy showing Chloe some other toy which was undoubtedly mere minutes from a trip to the floor. Aiming carefully so as not to hit the baby, Dean pegged the rabbit straight at the back of Cas's head. It made satisfying contact and Dean only had a second to control his facial expression before Cas turned around looking completely scandalized.

"What was that for!" he asked with indignation.

"You know damn well what it was for, you asshat. Ganging up on me with a baby. That's low, Cas. It's not right."

"I have no idea what you are referring to Dean." He did though. Dean only had to take one look at his smug face to know he was completely aware.

"You are so full of shit dude. Do you really think that act is gonna work on me? I invented that act!'

"Dean all I can say is that I am hurt that you would think I was party to any malicious act. And poor Chloe. These accusations have wounded her, too." Dean looked at Chloe. She didn't look wounded at all. Actually she looked like she was enjoying herself. She was also staring determinedly at the rabbit on the floor, pudgy baby arms reaching out to it.

"Oh what? Now you want it after you knocked it on the floor?" Dean asked her as he picked it up again.  "I don't think so, sister. You had your chance and you chose a hard pass." he said as he put the rabbit back on the hook. Mistake. As Chloe watched Dean step back from the rack her face crumpled and cries started ringing down the aisle. Putting on a face of feigned indifference Dean addressed the little girl.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me. No way. You deliberately sided with him and now you're upset you have to pay the price? Unbelievable." Cas however looked slightly panicked.

"Dean , I think that it might be wise to just give her the rabbit." he suggested meekly now that his little charade had backfired somewhat.

"No way, Cas. This is America. We don't negotiate with terrorists." Dean stated confidently. Unfortunately, Chloe chose that moment to put all her resolve into the standoff and with increased pitch and theatrics Dean was pretty sure the whole store could hear them.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Dean cried hastily as he placed the rabbit into the little girl's arms. "Jeeze, you win. Drama queen." Instantly she quieted, her face all smiles. Cas looked down at her in amazement then back at Dean with a smirk.

"Dean, I…don't know if I ever told you this but I…well, I really admire your resolve."

"Shut up." Dean muttered as he sauntered over to the cart and started pushing it to the checkout.

 

  *****

 

At the checkout it was determined that the smart thing to do would be to scan the rabbit first. Since Chloe had an iron grip on it Cas had to hold her out to the checkout lady so she could scan the rabbit while Chloe mauled it. The checkout lady smiled at Chloe as she scanned the rabbit. "I remember when mine was that little," she said. "He had a plush tiger. I can't tell you how hard it was for me to get it from him long enough to wash it."

Dean smiled back at her with his best I'm a Totally Normal Person Face. "Yeah. Kids, huh?" he replied.

"How old is she?" the lady, whose name tag proclaimed her to be Lydia, asked as she started scanning the items on the belt.

"Six and a half months old" Cas answered.

"Oh boy, you two are in for a treat." she said with a smile. "That's when they start crawling and getting up to mischief. Are you just bringing her home today?" she asked noting all of the supplies being loaded on to the belt.

"Uh, yeah." Dean answered trying to keep the smile on his face. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew where this was going.

"Oh, that's wonderful! Congratulations! I always say more couples should adopt. And if you don't mind me saying, I think you'll both make great parents. She seems really taken with you both." Aaaaaand there it was. Dean had gotten The Look too many times at the front desks of crappy motels when checking in with Sam to not know it when it was coming. It could vary depending on who was at the desk and what part of the country they were in. Sometimes it was a raised eyebrow, sometimes it was a girl with a wide grin thinking they were just "too cute", often it was a disapproving glare in the Bible Belt. In this situation, though, they didn't have too much choice but to play along. Or he thought they didn't. Cas clearly didn't think so.

"Oh she's not ours," he stated with a smile and a conversational tone as though it were completely normal. "A friend of ours just dropped her on our doorstep." Lydia frowned, concern etched in her features.

Dean chose that moment to nudge Cas in the shin with his boot. Hard. For Lydia's benefit, and to cover the sound of Cas's undignified yelp, he forced a laugh. "Ah man, will you look at this guy? What a kidder. You've gotta stop telling people that, honey. You'll get us arrested. Hahaha. Ha." Dean wasn't even sold on his own performance but Lydia seemed to buy it.

"Oh my lands. Your husband really had me going there a minute. He must drive you crazy at home," she said with a smile.

"Oh, you have no idea." Dean replied. Cas was giving Dean a seriously confused face, his head tilted questioningly. When Lydia looked down to scan an item Dean put his arm around Cas's shoulders and pulled him close. This served the double purpose of really selling the act in case Lydia had any lingering doubts and also allowing Dean to treat Cas to a stern Keep-Your-Cakehole-Shut-Until-We-Get-Out-Of-Here look. Cas still looked completely baffled by what had just happened but seemed to understand that now was not the time or place to broach the topic. Satisfied, Dean plastered his best fake smile on and tried to ignore the hammering in his chest. He had lied to people hundreds of times. He had impersonated an FBI officer more times than he could count and had done equally countless and equally illegal other acts. He had gone to jail. More than once! Why was his heart trying to Jimminy Cricket him into honesty now? Unless it wasn't about the lying… He was suddenly very aware of his arm around Cas's shoulder.

He hadn't thought it through before he'd done it. He'd just done what he had to to make them seem like one big happy, totally-not-harboring-a-technically-stolen-baby family. Right? He mentally shook himself. What the hell, Dean? Get it together. Of course it was the lie. There was a big difference between being rightfully accused of impersonating an officer and wrongfully accused of babyknapping. Whether you were guilty or not, the cops tended to take a much dimmer view of child abductors. Hell, Dean wouldn't have thought twice about pounding in the face of someone he thought might have hurt a kid. Anyone would be freaked out. He just had to keep it together until they could get out of here and then he and Cas were going to have a nice long talk about oversharing on information.

After what seemed like forever but had only really been a few short minutes the last item was rung up, the devastating total flashed on the card reader, Dean paid and they turned to leave. As they headed to the door, Lydia smiled at them and said "Congratulations again you two! And good luck! You both have a great day!" They thanked her and wished her a good day, too. Somehow they managed to fit everything in the Impala, though Dean wasn't exactly sure how. Cas had wanted to put the car seat in right away but Dean had convinced him to wait until they got back to the bunker so they could get the hell out of the super center parking lot. Once they were on the road Cas piped up from the back seat where he was one again situated with Chloe and surrounded by mountains of bags of baby things. "Dean, why was it necessary to lie to the checkout lady and brutalize my shin."

Dean took a deep breath. "Okay Cas. There's a few things you need to know about horrible shit that people do."

 

 *****

 

"So…what you're saying…is that she would have assumed that we stole Chloe. Why would we steal her?”

“Man, Cas, I don’t know. Some people are baby freaks. They don’t have their own so they steal someone else’s. Some people are pedophile creepers and child molesters. Some people are just sick twisted fucks okay?” Cas was both astonished and disgusted. Most of humanity was amazing. A true gift. But some of it? Some of it was truly abhorrent. Dean must have caught his extreme look of distaste in the rearview mirror, because he seemed to try to soften the blow of this new information.

"Yeah, man. Look, I don't want you to think that all people are horrible sons of bitches but some of them are and the rest of the world has been trained to watch out for them. That's why you can’t just go saying shit like that. People get the wrong idea. Two guys can't just walk into a store with a baby that's not theirs." Dean replied. He felt sort of bad for taking off Cas's rose colored glasses but better that than the two of them sitting in a police station trying to explain to the fuzz that they weren't some kind of twisted perverts on a cross-country baby-knapping spree.

"So…until we know what's going on here, am I to understand that in public we're married and Chloe is our baby?" Cas asked with another head tilt.

Dean determinedly kept his eyes on the road instead of glancing at the backseat. He could feel heat rising to his cheeks. "Uh, yeah, I guess. That seems to be what people assume anyway so I guess we can go with that. If you're okay with it."

Cas considered that. Was he okay with it? He had never believed he would ever be married. Not in the way humans were. Angels sometimes partnered off with other angles but it was less about love and more about strength in numbers. Angels didn't feel in the same way humans did either. That had always set Castiel apart from his brothers and sisters. There had always been something more uniquely human about Cas than there was with his siblings. The more time he spent with the Winchesters the more humanity he seemed to take in. He ceased to behave in the soldier-like way he was meant to and started rebelling and considering things like free will and the value of human lives. The truth was, even before the angels fell, Cas was still significantly more human-like than an angel was supposed to be. That wasn't to say humanity hadn't come as a shock to him. All of the emotions immediately rushing in had sent him reeling. He started feeling things he didn't understand. The first week he had been in the bunker, he spent a lot of that time in his room trying to come to terms with all the turmoil he was feeling inside. Slowly he had learned to deal with it and even make sense of some of it but it had been exhausting. It was still exhausting. He had dreams that made no sense, feelings he didn't understand, and the whole revelation of mortality to contend with which he felt woefully underprepared for.

So when Dean mentioned marriage, even just as a charade to keep them from being arrested, Cas was surprised to find that, even though in his mind he agreed it would be the most practical route, inside he was feeling anything but practical about it. He had a strange fluttery feeling in his stomach. That didn't feel practical. His heart rate increased. That wasn't practical. A blush crept to his cheeks. Not. Practical. It wasn't so much that he objected to the false front. They had pretended to be FBI officers many times for cases. It was more the fact that now his mind was taking what information he had about married couples and applying it to Dean and himself. Married couples held each other. They embraced. They were familiar and laughed together and slept together. They had children and danced and grew old together. They kissed. It all seemed so personal and intimate. But that didn't trouble Castiel either. He knew it was just for appearances in public.

What had gotten to Cas (and, he suspected, what was responsible for his strange heartbeat and the fluttering in his stomach) was that when he played some of those scenarios with himself and Dean they didn't seem out of place. They didn't seem strange or a stretch. Cas couldn't think of anyone he was closer to or trusted more than Dean. He would have willingly risked his life for Dean's and he knew from experience that Dean would do the same for him. He had rebuilt Dean cell by cell and thought every part of him was miraculous from the green of his eyes to the warmth of his hand resting on his shoulder back at the store. It put things in a strange new perspective. It was overwhelming.

When Dean's comment got no response he finally dared to glance in the back seat. Cas looked stupefied as though he were considering the very fabric of the universe and finding something unexpected there. "Dude, if you don't want to do it it's okay, we can come up with some other lie, I just figured that'd be easiest." he directed to his friend.

That seemed to jolt Cas back to reality. "No. No. That's okay. That's fine. We…we can do that. Good idea" he said in a strangled jumble of words.

Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Dude. You feeling okay?"

"Ehr…yes." Cas replied. "I…I think I'm just hungry."

Now that was something Dean could relate to. Breakfast seemed like forever ago. "Oh man, me too. I'm starving. Let's swing by the Taco Casa drive-thru. I could eat a truck load of burritos. We should get some of those churro things too. You know. Since they don't have pie."

Cas nodded absently. Yes. Burritos. Good plan.


	4. Magical Baby Tranquilizers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Oh my poor lambs. I am sorry this chapter is a bit late. To make up for it I am currently writing what I hope will be a nice long chapter for you. :) Full of sexual tension and hilarity and stubborn men refusing to address their feelings. Mwahahaha you will love it!_
> 
> _As always please leave kudos and comment if you are enjoying this wonderful and terrifying thing that I have created out of my overactive imagination. Your love is like hugs from the internet!_
> 
> _Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural but I do own an impressive collection of knickknacks and thats almost as good, right? ....Right? Anyone?_

  

 

 

Kevin Tran rolled out of his bed and looked at the alarm clock. 2pm. After four hours of sleep he felt somewhat restored. What an awesome night.  A full evening of nothing but slashing down ogres, collecting gold, and romancing handmaidens. And it sure as hell beat trying to decipher tablets. He was so glad there was no need for that anymore.  He was sick of being the prophet. The only trouble was now he was at a loss for what to do. His mom was gone and any thoughts of college seemed like an eternity ago. He was without a path and that didn’t sit right but he wasn’t sure where to turn.

Luckily Sam and Dean felt appropriately guilty for everything that had transpired and had made it clear that he was more than welcome to stay with them as long as he wished, provided they could borrow him when there was research to be done now and again. Things had been pretty frosty for a few weeks but they were trying to make amends so he was also trying to let it go and move forward with his life. To be honest, though, there hadn’t been a whole lot of movement of any sort lately. After the trials Sam had been in pretty bad shape and needed to rest and recuperate.  Then a few days later Cas had shown up at the door looking much the worse for wear and startlingly human.

That had been an adjustment and between the two of them they kept Dean pretty occupied trying to get them both back up to optimum health or as close as could be expected under the circumstances. It had been a few weeks ago now that things had started to even out but Dean was exhausted from playing nursemaid and everyone else seemed like they could use a break, too.

All things considered hunting was out of the question for the time being and so there had been no hunts since before the trials.  That left Kevin free to do whatever he pleased and he had promptly taken to camping in the living room in front of the tv at night. The video games had the dual benefit of providing an outlet through which he could channel some of his anger at the turns his life had taken while simultaneously taking his mind off those very same things.

And they were a lot of fun. He felt pretty sure he had set a record for number of levels cleared in Moondoor in a single evening. Take that, Charlie! He could just imagine her face when she saw his newly acquired level. She had found him in Moondoor shortly after he started playing and they were currently running neck and neck for control of the kingdom. Or they had been before his all-nighter. So, so worth it.

With fond thoughts of his triumphant surge forward in the game he slouched out into the living room thinking that he may as well see what everyone was up to. Nothing doing. He checked each of the more frequently used rooms but the whole place was deserted. There was a random basket in the living room that hadn't been there before but other than that, nothing. On a second pass through the kitchen, though he noticed a note in Dean's handwriting.

 

_Kevin- Sam's out on a case. I'm running an errand with Cas. Be back soon. -Dean_

_P.S. Clean up the shit in the living room. What is this, a fuckin' frat house?_

 

Kevin rolled his eyes. Dean always had such a sophisticated way with words. And what a hypocrite. Kevin couldn't count the times he had come down the hall in the morning to find a bunch of empty beer bottles occupying  all the available surfaces and Dean passed out somewhere, usually the couch. It wasn't because he had a drinking problem though he did drink more than he probably should.

It was, instead, because Dean was failing miserably at his new favorite game. It was a simple game called Get Cas Drunk and as one might suspect the goal was to get Cas drunk. Dean had a very firmly held belief that now that Cas was human and able to actually become intoxicated without drinking an entire liquor store he would make a hilarious drunk. Unfortunately, Dean had not yet succeeded in winning the game. Kevin had a sneaking suspicion that Cas was wise to what was going on (Dean was flagrantly obvious when drinking) and had made it seem like he was drinking more than he truly was while encouraging Dean to have one or two more "with him".

The end result was that after a spell Cas strolled off to bed, slightly buzzed at most, and Dean ended up sleeping on the couch. It was a childish, ridiculous game that he and Sam were betting heavily on.

Sam's money was on Dean because as he put it "Don't underestimate him. I've seen how slick he is at convincing women to come back to shady motel rooms with him. He's a sneaky bastard."

Kevin was betting on Cas, though. Sam and Dean probably didn't see it because they still thought of Castiel as a loyal and somewhat innocent angel of the Lord. And in many ways he was still as loyal as he had ever been. Kevin had no doubt he would do anything for Sam and especially Dean, including laying down his own life if it came to that. But he was learning the ways of humanity and he was definitely not an angel of the Lord anymore. In fact, ever since he had gotten back to the bunker without his grace and despite having been pretty tired and bedraggled looking, it seemed like a large weight had been lifted from Castiel's shoulders.

He was no longer an angel and he no longer had his powers or his connection to Heaven but, he was also no one's soldier anymore or subject to anyone's authority. He was human and could do as he pleased. Kevin thought that had made a world of difference, one that Cas might not have even realized yet. He was still Cas, still woefully behind on pop culture references and still overly literal in most situations but he also seemed lighter somehow and more easy going. And maybe, just maybe a tiny bit more devilish. Nothing horrible. He was still practically a saint. But it hadn't escaped Kevin's notice that Cas had started picking up the fine art of sarcasm, or being downright grumpy in the mornings, or even more open to silly pranks and games.

He had even started subtlety leaving hints that he should be allowed to get a cat. Not that Sam or Dean noticed. When he had stated "I like cats." Dean's response had been "That's nice Cas." And no one apart from Kevin had noticed that the bunker now had the most recent issue of Cat Fancy. But he would get there. He had determination and a blind faith that he would get what he wanted on his side.

So if Kevin was placing a bet on a "sneaky bastard" winning this ridiculous game it was going to be on the guy with the leopard print slippers.

He looked back at Dean's note and briefly considered writing an elaborate rebuttal but thought better of it. There was no point in sassing someone if they didn't realize they were being sassed. Not that Dean was stupid. Actually, he was really intelligent. You just had to look past all the macho posturing to see it. Kevin figured if you considered all the research they did for cases, and despite the fact that he tried to wiggle out of doing research at any opportunity, Dean had still read and studied as much as any law student. But that didn't really help in this situation because on the off-chance that Dean did realize that he had been sassed, he wasn't above giving Kevin a small beating on principle. All in all, some things were better left unsaid.

So, in an act of pacification Kevin got a trash bag and put the living room back to rights. He was just finishing up when he noticed the strange basket again. It had a blanket in the bottom of it. Hmm. Maybe Cas was stepping up his game. What if he had finally convinced Dean to let him get the cat and that's where they were now? Man, that would be awesome. It explained the note too. If there was a cat in the bunker it would bat Red Bull cans everywhere and chew the controller cords. Maybe Sam had gotten pissed that Dean had caved so easily and went to take a case. Huh. Kevin had figured Sam would be the one most receptive to the idea of a cat but then Dean did have a soft spot where Cas was concerned. Sweet. Kevin loved cats. It would be cool to have some company when the other three were back out on cases. This was actually pretty exciting.

In a significantly better mood, Kevin put the trash in the kitchen and was just thinking he was kinda hungry when he heard the bunker door open.

Dean's voice echoed down the hall. "Kevin! Get your ass outta bed! We have God's greatest gift to humanity! The burrito!"

Kevin could also make out Cas's voice. "Dean, that's not strictly speaking true. I think God would probably categorize 'life' as his greatest gift to mankind. And don't shout or you'll upset Chloe" Kevin wrinkled his nose. Chloe was an…interesting cat name. Oh well. It was Cas's cat so he got to choose the name. He ran out to the hall to meet them. And then he stopped dead in his tracks.

Dean was carrying a fist full of shopping bags in one hand and a large paper take-out bag in the other. When he saw Kevin he smiled. "Oh good, Sleeping Beauty. You're up. You can help us get the big stuff out of the car. Kevin just stared, mouth slightly open. Dean frowned. "Dude you gotta seriously lay off the energy drinks. They're making you weird. Well. Weirder than normal."

Dean chuckled at his own little joke but still Kevin said nothing. "Hello? Kevin? You gonna just stand there? Cause you know, this crap isn't heavy or anything."

Finally Kevin seemed to find his voice. "That is not a cat." he said and pointed to Chloe who was watching the whole exchange from the safety of Cas's arms.

"Uh no. No it isn't. I don't know what they call them on your home planet but on Earth they're called 'babies'.  Dude, maybe you should just go back to bed. You're kinda…loopy. We'll save you a burrito." Dean said with a weirded out expression.

Kevin wasn't done though. "You. You were supposed to be getting a cat. The note. And…the basket. Cat."

Dean was seriously confused now. "Okay, hold on here. What's all this bullshit about a cat? Who's getting a cat."

Kevin turned a wary expression to Dean. "Cas is. Cas is getting a cat."

If Dean could have raised his eyebrows any higher he would have. "Like hell he is. Why would he get a cat?" He turned to Cas. "Do you know anything about this?"

Cas let out a heavy sigh. This was not how he had wanted to do this. "Well Dean, in all honesty I have wanted a cat for some time now. I was trying to ease you in to the idea but you have been unreceptive to my hints."

Dean looked affronted. What the hell was with it today? Had the whole world just decided to go batshit crazy? "Cas. Are you trying to tell me…are you a cat person?"

Cas tilted his head in confusion. "I am a human Dean. You know that."

"No, Cas, no. Cat person, it just means you like cats. A lot. Like if you had to choose between a dog or a cat you would choose a cat."

"Oh, well then yes. I am a…a cat person."

Kevin felt they were loosing the focus of the conversation. "Guys. Why is there a baby here?"

He, however, was ignored. "Dude, a cat person? Seriously!? Are you shitting me right now?"

"No, Dean, I am not 'shitting you'. I told you I liked cats. You said that was nice."

"I thought you meant in general! Like how people like marbles or, I don't know…orange juice! I didn't think you wanted to adopt one and let it take over your life!"

"That's very close-minded, Dean. Cats are very affectionate creatures. They are also very intelligent and I feel we have a lot in common."

"In common? With cats? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Well, for example, according to the internet, cats have a certain predilection for cheeseburgers. Although, it would seem they haven't quite worked out the spelling. But I also like cheeseburgers. So there."

Kevin decided to try again. "Guys! Why is there a baby here!"

He was ignored. Again.

"Okay. First of all- you can't count that. Everyone likes cheeseburgers. Secondly- No way in hell are you getting a cat."

"And why not? Why do you have such a grudge against cats?"

"Why? Oh, I'll tell you why. They're self-serving, they shed, they destroy houses, you have to clean out their litter boxes and you would forget so the whole place would smell, and they have attitude problems, not to mention, I’m allergic to them. Should I go on?"

"You have an attitude problem! And I don't think a cat could ever cause as much property damage as you have. And you shed! And I would not forget to clean out the litter box. I have an excellent memory."

"What!? I don't shed!"

"Well , if you feel so confident on that point why don't we go take a look at the shower drain and see?"

"That's Sam you asshat! And anyway he would say no to getting a cat too, so it's not just me!"

"Well, I guess we'll see about that."

"Oh we'll see about it. We'll call him right goddamn now and-" But Dean didn't get to finish. Kevin had had enough.

"WHY IS THERE A BABY HERE!?" he shouted in a strangled voice filled with confusion. However, again, he didn't get an answer because as soon as the words left his mouth, the baby in question burst into tears. Dean dropped his bags and Kevin thought he must be seeing things because it was the only time he had ever, in all the time they had been acquainted, seen Dean abandon burritos. Dean turned to Cas and the baby, the two adults already making soothing sounds to try and quiet her.

"Oh, Chloe, don't be upset. You have your rabbit. See? It's a very nice rabbit."

"There there Chloe, c'mon baby, it's okay. Here, look what I have for you." Dean turned around and started rummaging in one of the bags. He pulled something out and quickly pulled the packaging apart. He turned back to Cas and the baby again, holding what had been in the packaging up in his hand. "See? Huh? Whaddaya think? Pretty nice right?"

"What is that thing?" Cas asked.

"Huh? Oh well most people like to call them pacifiers but I prefer the term Magical Baby Tranquilizers."

"Dean, you can't tranquilize Chloe."

"What? No. Watch." Dean waited for Chloe to open her tiny mouth in another agonized howl and popped in the pacifier. In a matter of seconds she was happily gumming away on it, all the tears forgotten. Cas seemed impressed. Satisfied, Dean turned around to face Kevin. "What the hell, Kevin! Way to disturb the peace man!"

"I am going to have to agree with Dean here, Kevin. That was…what do you call them Dean?" Cas asked.

Dean thought for a moment. "Dick move?"

Cas nodded in recognition. "Ah, yes. A dick move."

Kevin was dumbfounded. He briefly considered the possibility that he had been zapped from his world and inserted in an alternate reality. No. No way that the universe could be so kind.

"You guys are unbelievable! One second you're fighting, the next you're all bros for life and giving me the business! Now, are you going to explain why there's a baby here or are we just going to continue on today like that's not just the littlest bit weird?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Well if you would sleep normal hours you would know what's going on by now."

"Seriously!?" Kevin said, eyes wide, "You're gonna lecture me about normal sleeping patterns!?"

Dean shrugged. "Okay, fine that's fair. Help us get the rest of this shit out of the car and I'll explain while we eat. Burritos are gonna get cold." Kevin threw his arms up in the air but started down the hall anyway. Dean handed the burritos to Cas in his free hand. "We can leave this other stuff here. We'll bring it into the living room after we eat." He turned to the hall.

"Okay," Cas said, "But Dean? This cat conversation is not over."

Dean stopped. He considered making a comment but just rolled his eyes and continued walking. Cat person. Son of a bitch.

 

 *****

 

Together Kevin and Dean managed to get the rest of the car unloaded while Cas moved Chloe's basket into the kitchen with his blanket thrown in on top of hers. Gently, he laid her down in it and set out the burritos. When Dean came in he took the first diaper duty which he could only describe as a truly offensive experience ("The smell alone, you guys. So so wrong. Nothing that horrific should be able to come outta something that small")

He and Cas also made a somewhat unsuccessful attempt at feeding Chloe that only resulted in tiring them all out and made it clear to everyone present that she had no intention of eating mushed carrots. Cas had tasted them out of curiosity and could only heartily agree with her. ("Oh, urghh. No, they're terrible. Make them go away, Dean.") Then over lunch he and Dean finally managed to explain to Kevin what had transpired that morning in whispers while Chloe slept.

"So…let me get this straight. Garth dumped a baby on us while he goes on a hunt. Sam thinks Garth's gonna get himself killed so he also went on the hunt. And now we're here, basically responsible for babysitting until they finish. Oh, and you guys are 'married' in public now so people don't think your pervs?" Kevin put his head in his hands. Life was so much simpler in Moondoor.

"Uh, yeah that's about the size of it." Dean answered.

"Okay…so what are we supposed to do for the rest of the day?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, don't you worry. We have plenty to do. All those boxes we brought in? Yeah, we have to build all that shit. So finish your burrito, grab a beer, and get ready for some manly bonding." Dean answered with a smile and a clap on Kevin's back.

Cas cocked an eyebrow. "Manly…bonding?" he asked. Dean turned to him.

"Sure, man. It's a time honored tradition. Since the beginning of time men have been building shit together and tossing back beers."

Cas looked unconvinced.

"Oh c'mon Cas! Dudes have always been building stuff together. The Chrysler Building? Classic cars? Ikea furniture? C'mon, seriously, nothing? I thought you've been around since the beginning of time. You never saw any of that?"

"Of course I have Dean. I've just never…experienced it myself."

"What? Sure you have. We drink beers and watch tv all the time. That's manly bonding."

"No, you drink beers and pass out. I go to bed. Besides I thought we had to be building something."

"Okay, first of all that was a low blow. I'm gonna get you wasted one of these days, it's only a matter of time. And secondly you don't have to build anything but it helps. Makes it…I dunno…more rustic."

"I don't know Dean. Shouldn't we try to feed Chloe again first?"

"What are you crazy? No way, man. She's sleeping, just let her sleep. When she's hungry she'll wake up. Trust me."

Cas sighed and scratched his neck. He had expertly avoided Dean's none-too-subtle attempts to get him drunk for the past few months. He knew Dean was only doing it out of a strange rule of camaraderie that apparently stated that you harass your friends and encourage them to make poor decisions. But Cas was human now and was dealing with an entirely new set of emotions not to mention a significantly lower threshold for alcohol tolerance. He wasn't sure what would happen and that was a little bit scary.

But when Dean told Cas to trust him it wasn't even a question. Of course Cas trusted him. Implicitly. More than he had ever trusted anyone aside from his Father. And if getting drunk and building baby furniture was what human men did, well, then he would do it. He had vowed to experience humanity and cherish this opportunity. Who was he to stand in the way of centuries of "manly bonding" as Dean called it? So he got up and strode over to the fridge. He pulled out a six-pack and turned back to Dean and Kevin. "Okay. Let's do this…er…thing."

"All right Cas! Right on! Let's build us some badass baby furniture." Dean said as he smiled at Castiel. Cas couldn't help feeling that Dean's smile had made the whole thing worthwhile already.

Dean picked up the basket Chloe was sleeping in and he and Cas walked over to the door. "C'mon Kevin, hurry up or you're gonna miss out on all the fun." Dean whispered back over his shoulder.

Kevin just sat and shook his head. What a pair of weirdos.

 


	5. Porn Spanish and Swear Words Don't Count

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hello chickadees! You all probably thought I was traveling through time and space or had left you or something and so I am very very sorry! This update was not meant to have taken so long but you know how it is. Grad school and fickle muses make for some tough writing times. I would like to have the next chapter for you by next weekend but realistically it may be closer to the following Wednesday or so. We're into feelings territory and you know how Dean is about those. He's been making it very difficult to keep the story moving because he has to angst his way through everything. But don't worry. We'll get him there ;P Enjoy the chapter and as always please leave comments and kudos if it makes your heart sing!_
> 
> _Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural, it owns me._

 

 

  

The first few pieces of furniture went off without too much of a hitch. The crib had been alright and the car seat, while confusing, had had decent enough directions that they were able to get through it together. The bouncy baby swing had involved some initial confusion on how to adjust it from bounce to swing mode and back again but otherwise it wasn't too bad.

Chloe was sitting in it happily bouncing away while they tackled the next piece feeling somewhat confident. Dean should have realized that it wouldn't last. The next piece was the playpen Cas had picked out with the cartoon bees. It had more parts than the box had made it seem. It also didn't help that they had had enough beers by that point to be slightly buzzed.

Well, maybe more than slightly.

Bewildered, they all sat and surveyed the mess of pieces before Kevin reached over and picked up the directions. It only took him a moment to flip through them before he realized there was a problem. "Um…guys? Theres no English directions."

"Huh?" Dean asked as he swiped the folded papers. He looked through them and then down at the mess in front of them. "Shit. Are there other directions? On the box maybe?"

Kevin flipped the box over and checked all the sides. "Yeah…doesn't look like it." Dean flipped through the papers again.

"Well, there's Spanish. Didn't you take Spanish in school or something, Kevin?"

"Yeah but that was a while ago and I didn't take it all the way through."

"Here, give them here." Castiel said grouchily. He was beginning to feel as though his choice in baby furniture was being slighted.

"What, you speak Spanish?" Dean asked skeptically with an amused smirk.

"Yes, Dean, I speak most known languages. I was at one point an angel lest you forget. Besides, it's not as though you speak it."

"Hey, I can speak a little Spanish." Dean replied huffily.

"Porn Spanish and swear words don't count." Kevin said without looking up from the piece of the playpen he had been inspecting.

Dean narrowed his eyes but handed the directions over. Cas scanned them quickly with a furrowed brow and then looked at the pieces in front of them on the floor.

"Okay. It's very complex. According to this, each piece should have a lettered sticker on it. So first we need parts A, B, C, and D. Do we have those? Okay. So... it says that part A and part D go together and part B and part C go together."

"Whoa whoa whoa," Dean interrupted. "Hold on there Fix-It Felix. Why does part A go with part D? Part A should go with part B. That would make way more sense."

"Well, the directions indicate otherwise."

"Well the directions are full of shit."

"Dean I am simply reading what they say and they say part A goes with part D."

"Nuh-uh can't be. Here lemmie see."

"And what exactly would that accomplish? Have you suddenly, in the last five minutes become bilingual?"

"You smug bastard, hand 'em over."

"No."

"No? Why n- Waaaait…are you still pissed about the cat? Dammit Cas, we are not getting a cat in here! Now hand over the directions!"

"No! And cats are wonderful creatures! If you would just be more open-minded you would see. Now put part A with part D."

"Fine, fine…" Dean grumbled seeming as though he might acquiesce. Cas wanted to play hardball? Fine. Two could play at that game. Dean waited until Cas looked down at the directions again and was unawares.

Then he pounced.

"Dean. Dean! What are you doing!?" Cas yelped as Dean wrestled him down desperately reaching for the directions.

"Look Cas we can do this the hard way or the easy way, it's up to you. Just hand 'em over nice and easy and no one get's hurt."

'Never!" Cas shoved his hand in Dean's face and held the directions as far out in front of himself as he could.

"Give me the directions Cas!"

"Let me get a cat, Dean!"

"Not gonna happen!" Dean cried reaching as far as he could. He didn't expect Cas would be this hard to wrestle without his angel mojo. The guy was wiry. And stubborn.

As the two grown men rolled on the floor shouting at each other Chloe laughed and clapped in the bouncy swing. Kevin watched disinterestedly for a few minutes before deciding that this might take some time. He got up and walked out to the kitchen. If this was how the evening was going to progress they were going to need some more beer.

Dean and Cas were too busy trying to best each other to notice that they were now one man down. Dean tried pushing Cas's face away with his free hand.

"Dean, I am not above licking your hand" Cas growled.

"Well just give me the directions and you won't have to!" Dean countered.

"Say I can have a cat!"

"No!"

"Say it!"

Dean moved his hand and used it to wrench Cas's hand off of his own face. Without Cas's arm keeping them at a distance, Dean felt his chest thump against Cas's.

He reached his arm as far as he possibly could, his fingers brushing the edge of the papers. He looked down at Cas's face beneath his own hoping to see a look of crushing defeat when he finally got his hands on the directions only to be met with two impossibly blue eyes.

He stilled, the instructions temporarily forgotten. Cas seemed to have stopped wrestling too. Dean was suddenly very aware of his own body and the other body beneath it. He knew he should look away but he couldn't. Cas's features seemed to soften. Dean's eyes, seemingly of their own accord, darted down to Cas's lips.

They looked soft…

Cas couldn't help staring either. He had been so intent on beating Dean at his own game, the bossy jerk, that he had been caught completely off guard when he suddenly found two green eyes, level with his own. He was dimly aware that they were both panting, trying to catch their breath.

He saw Dean's eyes flick down quickly and felt his face flush.

They were both pulled back to the moment when the sound of Kevin's footsteps started echoing down toward them from the hallway. Dean quickly rolled off of Cas and ran a hand through his hair. Cas sat back up gingerly. He picked up the directions and handed them to Dean.

"Here, um, you can take a look if you want." Cas said quickly trying to hide the riot of thoughts that were pounding in his head.

"Oh, no man, that's okay. If, uh, if that's what you say they say, I believe you."

If Cas didn't know any better he would say that Dean's cheeks seemed flushed as well. But that must have been from their ridiculous fight. He had smashed his hand on Dean's face pretty hard. It had to be from that. 

The rest of the building of the playpen proceeded without incident. Anything Cas said the directions indicated Dean took to be the truth and before long the playpen had come together, cartoon bees and all. Cas considered a crow of triumph that he had been right but just didn’t have it in him.

Dean, for his part, was quiet and if Kevin sensed something was amiss between them he didn’t say anything.

Dean looked at the wall clock. That was the only thing about living in the bunker. Without any windows it was far too easy to lose track of time. He was shocked to discover how long they’d been working on building all the baby furniture. It was getting late and those burritos seemed like a long time ago.

“Alright, this stuff looks good so I’m gonna go pick up something for dinner. Cas, can you and Kevin hang out here with Chloe and I’ll just bring something back?”

Cas who had been staring absently at the playpen was ripped from his thoughts. When he had processed what Dean said his eyes went wide as saucers.

“Wait. You want me to stay here with Chloe? Alone? Here? With Chloe?”

“Uh, yeah Cas, that’s kinda what I said.” Dean answered exasperatedly.

Cas blanched “I don’t think that’s a good idea Dean.”

Dean took a deep breath, eyes on the ceiling as though he was seeking divine guidance, however fruitless they all knew that endeavor to be.

“Look Cas,” he said with as much patience as he could muster, “You’ve been great with her all day. It’s not like she’s gonna eat you, okay? She’s just one baby. I seriously doubt there’s anything that either you or she can do to cause major damage to each other until I get back. Just keep her entertained in her swing, capiche?”

Cas was unconvinced. “No Dean. Not capiche. Not capiche at all. I don’t know anything about human babies. Can’t we just put the baby car chair in the Impala and we can all go?”

Dean was at the end of his rope “Car seat, Cas! Car seat!  And no we can’t! Just gimmie some space okay! I’ll be back in fifteen.  Hold down the fort. Kevin, help him!” Dean shouted. Then, without a backward glance, he walked out of the room. Distantly they could hear the front door slam which, of course, caused Chloe to start crying. Cas and Kevin exchanged matching looks of horror.  At the very back of Cas’s mind a tiny voice wondered if maybe he should try praying.

 

*****

 

As Dean slammed the Impala’s driver side door behind him and turned the key in the ignition his pulse finally started to settle. This was good. Him and his Baby. This he could handle. It was safe and familiar and comforting. The whole time they were building the playpen he had been trying to keep a cool head and not think about his and Cas’s ill-advised duel over the directions.

Something clawed at the inside of his chest. He knew part of it was guilt over having cut and run on Cas and leaving him with the baby. But the other part? That was simultaneously harder to pin down and a lot closer to the bone.

He and Cas had always been friends. Of course they had had their rough spots. Okay, fine, they were more out-and-out fights than rough spots. Their road, so far, had not been an easy one.  There had been lies, betrayals, loss, brutal and bloody bouts of physical violence, and even death. But they had somehow always ended up back at friendship as though they were two magnets whose very nature ensured that they would always find each other no matter how far apart they drifted.

Dean ran a hand tiredly over his face as he drove. He found himself doing that fairly often of late; it seemed the fast and stressful life he’d spent his whole life living was finally catching up with him. He was just tired. Saving people, hunting things. He felt it bone deep that it was what he was meant to be doing. That certainty didn’t make the job easier, though.

After the trials, after coming so close to losing Sam, after Cas fell and those weeks of uncertainty wondering if he had even survived, Dean was at a loss. He knew hunting, it made sense to him, and he didn’t want to give it up. But he was also a smart man, despite what he let people believe, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was no way they could continue on in this life and hope for any good outcome. The three of them had massive targets on their backs and it was only a matter of time before someone or something took aim and hit a bullseye.

Dean stared at the road ahead as Baby made short work of the miles. He was well and truly lost. He could navigate the whole of the United States without a problem but he’d be damned if he could figure out a way to navigate his own life. He couldn’t find a clear route for what their next move should be and it bothered him. He had claimed that it came down to needing some R&R after taking care of both Sam and Cas but the truth was, he didn’t know what the next move was.

In many ways, Chloe turning up this morning had been a blessing. He had just about run out of excuses for sitting idle around the bunker when Garth kindly dropped one on his doorstep. Now they had a reason to tread water for a little while and Sam got to go North on a hunt which would hopefully keep him from suspecting Dean of stalling.  And if Dean was being completely honest (a rare occurrence in and of itself) he really liked Chloe. She took his mind off of everything else, she was someone he could take care of without risking life and limb and, God help him, she was sort of adorable.

She mostly seemed like a happy baby and she also seemed to find Dean comforting and hilarious in equal turns, which, well, what could he say? She had exceptional tastes.

And she looked like Cas.

Dark hair, blue eyes. It was sort of uncanny. If you didn’t know any better you would swear she was his. She had a soft dusting of freckles across her tiny nose and chubby cheeks and her hair was dark brown rather than almost black but other than that she was a dead ringer. It left a warm feeling in Dean’s chest that annoyed him because it reminded him why he had stormed out of the bunker in the first place.

He had no excuse for that moment in the living room. One single moment, probably not more than a few seconds, but which had felt significant somehow. There had been other moments since Cas showed up at the bunker too. At first they didn’t talk too much. Cas didn’t really seem up to it; he had a lot on his mind and spent long stretches of time in his room. But as he started venturing out he and Dean would find themselves sitting in front of Animal Planet marathons, or in the shooting range (Cas was a startlingly good shot). Sometimes Dean would drag Cas out to the garage and explain the finer points of auto maintenance or Cas would go into a long winded soliloquy on the merits of honeybees and why they should really consider sending for some hives (“It would be an excellent investment, Dean, honey is a very valuable commodity”). 

It was strange in that this marked the first time that either of them had spent this much time around each other, ever. Usually they were splitting up for a case or they would have a fight and Cas would fly off somewhere in a huff. But now they spent large chunks of the day together. Cas went with Dean to run errands. They ate meals together and watched tv together. They would occasionally drink together and Dean had initiated his brilliant “Get Cas Drunk” game which had unfortunately not had favorable results so far. They had had so many disagreements and outright fights in the past that when Cas showed up at their door part of Dean had expected that the road ahead would be rocky at best between the two of them.

But it wasn’t. Not really. They had had some disagreements of course, today’s hotly contested cat debate only being the most recent, but for the most part, they just got along. Dean didn’t have to put on a show for Cas. He felt comfortable around him. And maybe that level of comfort was the reason there had been so many “moments” between the two of them- weird things that felt outside their routine or significant in some unnamed way.

Dean thought back to one such instance from two days ago.

They were both sitting on the couch watching a lion stealthily sneak up to a heard of grazing gazelles. There was one gazelle in the heard that was littler than the others and Dean knew that if the lion managed to pull of the sneak attack, that gazelle was a goner. Engrossed, he reached for the remote to turn up the volume but what he found his hand on was distinctly not a remote.

He looked down to find that Cas had also reached for the remote and that it was his hand that Dean had grabbed. Dean quickly withdrew his hand but there was an odd feeling coursing through his veins and an awkwardness to the air.

Dean couldn’t help thinking that if it had been Sammy there instead of Cas they would have ended up fighting it out for the remote instead or giving each other a sharp jab in the ribs. Of course Dean probably wouldn’t be watching National Geographic with Sam either so there was that.

A week before that Dean had been standing in front of the fridge trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Cas was sitting at the table and Dean was giving him the lowdown on the long and storied history of the Winchester Prank Wars over his shoulder. Suddenly he felt an arm snake past his waist and stopped mid-sentence as Cas reached for the milk on the fridge door.  He hadn’t said anything about it at the time but he also couldn’t remember what prank he’d been telling Cas about either.

As he pulled into the diner he took a deep breath. Why was he making a big deal about this? It wasn’t a big deal, was it? Any of those incidents would be unremarkable any other time.

Somehow, though, with Cas they felt significant. Everything with Cas felt significant. He had that way about him.

Dean would be the first to admit that often he viewed the world with a jaded outlook.

Cas wasn’t that way. He saw wonder in everything- honeybees, cats, emoticons, humanity. And sometimes when he was with Cas and listened to him expound on these wonders, Dean felt it, too.

Cas had a way of taking the trivial and making it extraordinary.

            Dean parked the car and closed his eyes tight leaning back in the seat. He needed to figure his shit out. He knew that. He needed to figure out what was wrong with him.

Maybe being stationary for so long was starting to mess with his head. Normally he would have started feeling an itching in his skin weeks ago that was the indicator it was time to move on, new case, new town. He had expected it but it had never come. Maybe it was spending all this time with Cas. Maybe it was starting to get to him. That didn’t make sense to him either, though. He didn’t get this weird tightness in his chest around Sammy and they spent loads of time together.

But spending so much time with Cas was new and with Sam it wasn’t so maybe this was just a response to that. That could be it, right? In a few weeks the novelty would probably wear off and it would be fine. They would be back to normal, whatever that was. Dean got out of the car and walked up to the diner to place a to go order.

He told himself that he had resolved the issue in his mind, that it was just a weird moment, that he owed Cas an apology for freaking out, that there was nothing deeper at play. But the tightness in his chest didn’t leave and there was a gnawing feeling in his stomach that he knew had nothing to do with hunger.

He tried not to focus on that, though. Everything would be fine. Everything was fine.

This was all just an overreaction. Right?


	6. Ho Ho Manly Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hello my delightful delinquents! I am so so sorry this chapter is so late and so short. Life has a funny way of getting in the way of writing :( I think, in the interest of keeping all of you informed I should just be honest with myself and say that updates are more likely to happen on a bi-weekly basis given everything I have to do in the week. I will make every effort to update more often than that but that's probably the more likely scenario. And for those of you who were worried- I have absolutely no intention of leaving this bad boy unfinished. It breaks my heart when fics go unfinished and I couldn't do that to you darlings. In other news- I'm on my fall break right now so I am gonna try to write you all a good long chapter to reward your patience and devotion! Yay!_
> 
> _Please review; it makes me update more!_
> 
> _Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural but I do own at Risk so if any of you are up for a bloodbath we should play sometime._

 

 

 

Castiel had a split second of horror as the door slammed.

He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what was coming and as Chloe uttered her first unsettled howl he was sorry he was right.

He and Kevin stood momentarily stunned as she cried pitifully before something came alive in the pit of his stomach. Castiel would later reflect that this must be what humans meant when they spoke of “gut instincts” but in the moment his sole concern was hoisting the little girl out of the swing and bouncing her in his arms as he spoke to her.

“Chloe baby, calm down, it’s okay. Shhhh, it’s okay. Please don’t cry. This is all going to seem very trivial later, I promise you. I realize door slamming is very rude but this seems a bit theatrical. Shhhh. Please, please don’t cry.”

Cas tried his best to be soothing but it didn’t seem to be working. Chloe just continued to cry. As he tried to think of something he could do to quiet her he heard a scuffling behind him and turned just in time to see Kevin make a beeline for the kitchen.

Cas was about to call out in protest when Kevin shouted over his shoulder.

“I think I have an idea! Give me one sec to find it…”

Cas just took a deep breath and tried to steel himself as Chloe started bawling with renewed effort and increased pitch.

He was at a complete loss for what to do. It hurt him that there was nothing he could do to ease the little girl’s suffering. He felt so useless. How could Dean leave him like this?

He had said he needed some space but Castiel didn’t feel as though he had crowded him.

Of course they had been spending a lot of time together, more than they ever had before, but Dean hadn’t seemed to mind before today. He couldn’t still be mad about the directions could he? Dean had initiated their scuffle in the first place, anyway.

Cas had been completely taken aback when he had been pounced on and the beers had not improved his coordination in the ensuing struggle.

He felt a little breathless thinking about it. It had been strange for a moment there…

But then Dean stormed off and left a mess in his wake.

Castiel winced as Chloe howled directly in his ear. He had given up saying anything to her; she could not be reasoned with. Where was Kevin, already?

As if summoned by Cas’s thoughts, Kevin suddenly jogged back in the living room carrying something in his hand.

“It worked for Dean, I thought maybe it might work for us” he called over Chloe’s cries. As he held his hand out to the baby, Cas could see that he had brought in Chloe’s pacifier. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Why was he so terrible at this?

In the middle of one of Chloe’s more animated cries Kevin managed to pop the pacifier in her mouth. Immediately the crying stopped and Chloe adopted a surprised expression before happily sucking away at the pacifier.

“Holy crap, Dean was right. They are magical baby tranquilizers.” Kevin said in shock.

Cas closed his eyes and let out a long relieved breath.

“Thank you, Kevin. It would seem you have more experience in these matters than I do. I’m afraid millions of years of observing humanity somehow left me unprepared where human infants are concerned. “

“It’s really no big deal. I just happened to remember it. You’ll get the hang of it.” Kevin said, brushing off the compliment.

“Well, thank you all the same. I appreciate it. “

“No problem. Besides if Dean hadn’t flown off the handle we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. What’s his deal anyway? One second it’s all ‘Ho ho manly bonding let’s build baby furniture and drink beers’ and the next he storms off because he ‘needs space’?” Kevin asked incredulously and with exasperation.

“I’m honestly not sure.” Cas replied, defeated, bouncing the now happy baby in his arms. “ I should have given up long ago trying to understand Dean’s reactions to any given situation. Every time I think I understand it turns out I’m wrong. But, then that has been my experience with most of the rest of humanity as well so perhaps I am just ill-equipped to understand human emotions.”

Kevin’s expression softened a bit. He felt bad for Cas.

It had to be difficult going from having very few emotions to a whole host of them and then losing all your powers and ability to fly to boot.

There was no question- whether Cas felt he deserved it or not, he had gotten a raw deal. And while Dean had really stepped up when it came to getting Cas on the mend when he showed up a few weeks back, things had been decidedly off between them.

They hadn’t been fighting; Kevin would not have been quite so worried if they had- Dean fighting with people was so normal as to be unremarkable. In fact, Dean had been almost pleasant.

Of course they had small disagreements about things like who was the superior James Bond (Cas was fond of Roger Moore, Dean preferred Sean Connery) or how much sugar was too much in a cup of coffee but they weren’t real arguments.

They weren’t accusations of dishonesty or brutal fistfights. It was very worrying. Up until today, he and Cas had actually been getting along almost swimmingly- watching tv, working in the garage, Dean had even taken to cooking more often in an attempt to introduce Cas to new foods.

It was all so friendly and normal. But despite Dean’s good humor there was a sense of tension there as though something between them was unresolved.

They would watch tv but if someone else walked in the room they would unconsciously tense up. While working on the car there was always a seemingly defined space between them. In the kitchen they would dance around each other in the cramped space. They were close without being physically close. They were easy-going but there was an underlying tenseness.

It was as though their entire relationship was a collection of contradictions. It would have been comical were it not for the way it put Kevin slightly on edge.

And if it confused him he couldn’t begin to fathom how it made Cas feel. The guy had enough to be concerned with already without having to wade the murky waters of his and Dean’s confusing friendship.

But maybe, to Cas, what he and Dean had constituted a “normal” friendship. Outside of the Winchesters and the people in their orbit Cas didn’t really have what Kevin considered friends. Not unless you counted his angelic brethren and, frankly, they left a lot to be desired.

No, considering Castiel’s past it was no wonder human emotions mystified him.

“Look man, I don’t think you’re ‘ill-equipped’ or whatever. I think you just have a lot on your plate. You’ll get there. And as far as Dean’s concerned, he runs hot and cold all the time. It’s not your fault he’s got a short fuse. But I wouldn’t let him get away with that shit either.”

Cas tilted his head questioningly. “What do you mean?”

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed Dean kinda has a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. And maybe it’s kept him alive during hunts but he doesn’t need to bring it down on the rest of us. I don’t know. Sometimes he listens to you. Maybe if you called him on it he’d…listen.” Kevin shrugged his shoulders.

Cas considered what Kevin had said. He did have a point.

Cas could allow Dean’s bad behavior to continue unchecked but what would that really achieve?

They would have Chloe for a few more days at least and while Cas found that he did have quite a soft spot for her, he wasn’t a parent.

If something were to happen, if she needed something there was nothing he could do by himself. He wouldn’t have any idea of how to help her.

Dean must know that. He couldn’t risk that Dean would become angry or restless again and leave Cas to take care of the little girl by himself. And anyway why should he allow Dean to behave in this way.

Alright, yes, on occasion Cas had, in the past, flown off rather than engage in an argument. But he had always known that Dean would be alright. He was always trying to do what he thought was right in any given situation.

Sometimes he had been very grievously mistaken in his convictions but he had always tried to be there for Dean when it mattered.

He had fought Naomi’s brainwashing.

He had raised Dean from perdition.

Kevin was right. He didn’t really want to risk upsetting the friendship that he and Dean had cultivated but something had to be done.

“I can’t say whether or not Dean will listen to me but you make a valid point. I can try speaking with him. Thank you Kevin. Chloe’s quieted down now so you don’t have to stay if you’d prefer to be playing your television game.”

“Why, what are you gonna be doing?” Kevin asked.

Cas adjusted Chloe in his arms and took a deep breath.

“I’m going to call Dean.”

 


	7. Flights of Jack Kerouac Fancy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hey there my rambunctious rapscallions! Look at this! A new chapter and you didn't have to wait five hundred years for it! Fall break worked out well in your favor and I got a lot of writing done so yay! We're getting to some stuff that I have been wanting to write for a while which is super exciting but I think I should let you know that the more I write, the more I realize this is probably going to be a long one. These rascally characters, I tell you. They just want to get up to all sorts of shenanigans. ANYWAY. Could be a week, could be two until our next update but it will be there. ENJOY!_
> 
> _Please review, reading what you have to ay is like walking on sunshine! :D_
> 
> _Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural, I just like to get the characters all gussied up and take them out on the town._

 

 

When Sam drove in to Bloomington he decided it was late enough to pull over and get a few hours sleep before tracking down Garth and his friend and talking to the local police.

He could just drive in to St.Paul in the morning. He saw a sign for something that looked like his and Dean’s usual flavor of shady discount motel and pulled over. He was glad to have a place to stop.

Dean might be all about life on the road but Sam was not. He never had been really, that was just the life of a hunter, but given his choice Sam would have rather put down roots.

For Dean that was the bunker but it had never felt that way to Sam. He had always wanted a house. A real home with a family and a job that didn’t involve fighting for your life on any given Tuesday. Although, for all his flights of Jack Kerouac fancy, Dean seemed to be slowing down too, of late. Sam was sure that Dean thought he was hiding it well, but it hadn’t escaped Sam’s notice that they had all recovered from the trials weeks ago and yet hadn’t taken on any new jobs.

Dean wasn’t even looking. Normally, going this long without a hunt would have him crawling out of his skin but somehow it seemed like Dean was avoiding getting back to hunting.

Sam had thought that maybe it had something to do with the toll the trials had taken on everyone and it probably did but he also suspected that a large part of it had to do with Cas. Dean wouldn’t admit it but when the angels fell and no word had come from Cas in a few weeks, he was terrified.

Then Cas had miraculously shown up on their doorstep bedraggled and bruised and much the worse for wear both physically and mentally but very much alive. Sam knew that Dean had been equal parts worried over Castiel’s health and enormously relieved to see him standing there.

He had thrown himself in to taking care of Cas, making sure he was eating and healing and doing his level best not to push but allowing Cas to deal with things in his own time (which was a feat in and of itself for Dean).

Eventually Cas had healed and the two of them had been enjoying a closer friendship than they’d had since Cas rescued Dean from Purgatory in the first place. Sam knew that Dean was loath to do anything that would upset that friendship. He also thought that there was a fair chance that Dean’s close bond with Cas had given him a taste of something these last few weeks which he’d never really had before- a life without hunting.

Life with Lisa and Ben hadn’t been a good fit. Dean had to work too hard to pretend to be something he wasn’t. But with Sam and Cas and Kevin in the bunker he didn’t have to pretend. He could just be Dean. Maybe this was his version of “normal”. Sam hoped so. Dean deserved a “normal” after all he had sacrificed.

That was part of the reason that Sam had opted to come up and help Garth. There was, honestly, a good chance that Garth would get himself killed, that hadn’t been a lie.

But Sam also wanted Dean to have some time to figure things out. Maybe spending time with the baby would be fun for him (it had been as much a surprise to Sam as anyone but Dean was definitely father material) and put some things in to perspective for him.

Plus, Sam wasn’t stupid or blind.

He knew there was something going on with Dean and Cas. He wasn’t quite sure what it was but there was something. They got along famously but there was an undercurrent of something else. They were close in a way that just felt different to anyone observing.

And they were jumpy.

Sam had lost count of the times he had walked in on them doing something completely mundane like tinkering in the garage or washing dishes and the atmosphere in the room shifted as though he had caught them red-handed sinning in church or something else immoral.

When he had walked in on Dean teaching Cas how to use the washer and dryer two weeks ago it had been like he set a can of snakes loose in the laundry room. Dean had stood there posturing and acting over-casual and had, in the process, managed to upend the detergent into the washer. He had to spend a good forty-five minutes trying to salvage the wash while Sam patiently explained to Cas that this was, by no means, normal laundry practice, lest he mistake Dean’s ridiculousness for an actual tutorial.

Later Sam had thoroughly checked the room for hex bags thinking that they would explain Dean’s unusual behavior but he’d found none. There was something going on there and Sam wasn’t sure what it was but he hoped that they could work it out before he got back. It was putting him on edge.

While he was thinking of Dean, he’d better call him and see how he and Cas were doing with the baby before checking in to the motel.

He pulled his phone out and in a second Dean’s line was ringing.

“Hey Sammy” he answered tiredly.

“Hey Dean, I just wanted to check how you guys were doing. You okay? You sound beat. That kid tire you out already?” Sam replied with a snicker.

“Huh? Oh nah, she’s good. Cas and I got into it. Well. I mean we didn’t really fight. I just kind of overreacted over something stupid.”

“Oh wow. That doesn’t sound like you at all.” Sam said sarcastically.

“Oh, Hah-hah you’re a real comedian, Sam. Whatever. It was dumb, it was my fault, I owe him an apology, I’ll take care of it. Where are you?”

“Wait, whoa whoa whoa. Did you just admit you were wrong about something? And you’re going to apologize?! Like an actual real hat-in-hand apology?!”

“What, you don’t think I can man up and apologize for something?”

“If we’re going by your track record, no.” Sam could feel Dean’s eye roll through the phone.

“Screw you Sam. I can apologize for shit.” Dean replied petulantly.

“Damn. Whatever you did it must be bad to have you feeling guilty.”

“I don’t feel guilty,” Dean lied “Look, can we just drop it? You gonna tell me where you are or am I gonna have to guess?”

“Fine, fine. I just got in to Bloomington. I’m gonna stay the night here and then drive in to St. Paul in the morning. I’ll call you around lunch time and let you know what the deal is here.”

“Sounds like a plan. You calling it a night then?”

“I’m gonna get some dinner and see what I can find online about the deaths here but after that yeah.”

“Alright Sammy, well I gotta run. Time to feed the troops but I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Yeah sure. Oh, and Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re gonna bitch that this is too much of a chick flick thing and I know I ribbed you about it but I think it’s cool of you to own up and apologize to Cas.”

“Yeah, yeah, well I gotta go before we all start painting each other’s toenails and telling stories about our first crushes. “

Sam chuckled and nodded. This was typical Dean- doing something good and then brushing off a compliment for it.

“Yeah, okay Dean. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Yep, talk to you tomorrow Sammy.” Sam hung up the phone and stuffed it back in his pocket.

Damn. Dean really must have put his foot in his mouth to feel bad enough to apologize.

Or maybe he was turning over a new leaf. Dean didn’t usually apologize. Ever. And especially not to the people closest to him. It was one of his less endearing qualities he’d picked up from Dad.

Take no prisoners, make no apologies. Dean had had the mentality drummed in to him since he was just a kid.

He had grown a lot since Dad had passed but every now and again some of it surfaced and apologies were one of those areas. John Winchester had been nothing if not completely stubborn

. Sam was impressed. For Dean to apologize to someone and Cas no less, well, that was both unexpected and a major step in the right direction. Good for Dean. And good for Cas.

Sam was under no illusion, some of this had to be his influence. Dean was different with Cas. Better. Not quite so jaded. Happy, even, most of the time.

And the more time he spent with Cas, the more that openness and contentedness seemed to bleed in to the time when Cas wasn’t right there as well.  He was still Dean, he still grumbled and drank and tried to rib Sam whenever he could but his general temperament was better.

He was still rough around the edges but he seemed less and less as though someone (Dad) had laid a heavy burden on his back and told him to walk uphill.

Sam smiled to himself as he sat in the car.

There was definitely something going on between Dean and Cas and he was getting a sneaking suspicion, just a whisper of a thought, that he might be beginning to know what it was.

The only question was-did Dean and Cas know?

 

***** 

 

Dean hung up the phone. He was standing in the parking lot of the diner, take-out on the hood, his back leaning against the side of the car. He looked up at the sky.

The stars were out. In the corniest part of his heart Dean thought they were beautiful.

When his mom was still alive she used to tell him that angels would watch out for him. She said that they lived in heaven up in the sky.

Dean was little and for a long time he thought she meant that the angels lived right up in the sky and could sit on the stars. He was older now, he knew better, he had become better acquainted with heaven and its occupants than anyone would ever want.

But it still gave him a pang in his heart to think of Cas sitting amongst the stars. He wished that could have been Cas’s experience of heaven rather than the strict, militant, continuously fighting, repressive experience he’d actually had.

As though he’d tempted fate his phone rang again and when Dean glanced at the caller ID he saw it was Cas.

Shit. He had to get home.

There was inevitably some sort of baby incident to be dealt with.  He owed Cas one hell of an apology.

He stuck the phone back in his pocket and got in the Impala grabbing the takeout off the hood. He wouldn’t waste time on a phone call, he’d just drive like a bat out of hell and deal with whatever it was himself rather than trying to coach Cas through it. It wasn’t that Cas was inept. He was taking to the whole humanity thing remarkably well despite how much Dean ribbed him about his interesting clothing ensembles. It was just that at this point Cas must be at his wits end and Dean was beginning to feel more and more like an incredible douchewheel. He just had to get home and make this right.

He flew around the turns in a way that would leave even the most steady driving instructor in paroxysms of terror. Dean grit his teeth. He knew he must be breaking the land speed record. God help him if there were any cops along the road tonight. Miraculously he made it back to the bunker in one piece, skidding in to the drive in front.

He hopped out of the car grabbing the takeout as an after thought and barreled through the door before running down the hall and into the library.

There stood Cas, arms crossed over his chest, a thunderous expression on his face.

Chloe was in the corner in her bouncy swing gumming away on a pacifier and happily bouncing to her hearts content. Huh. She seemed fine.

Kevin was nowhere to be seen.

Dean’s attention swiveled back to Cas. He hadn’t moved a muscle but if looks could kill Dean would be downstairs having a “Welcome to Hell” orientation with Crowley right now.  Dean licked his lips and gingerly set the take out on the table.

There was no “Hello, Dean.”

There was only silence.

This was going to be bad.


	8. You Don't Want To Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sweet patient readers. I am constantly amazed that my ridiculous personal schedule forces me to test the limits of your faith in the updating schedule of this story and yet you always return. You are saints, all of you. Unfortunately this is a shortie chapter but I felt as though you had waited plenty long enough and the part of the story I had planned to go with this wasn't quite ready yet so I figured some's better than none you know? ANYWAY, it as per usual is going to be a week and a half to two weeks until the next update unless a magical pocket of writing time opens up for me before then (hey crazier things have happened) but we're getting into some good parts now so I'm really excited to get those things to you._
> 
>  
> 
> _Thank you to everyone who has commented or left kudos so far. I cannot tell you how much those mean to me and how much I smile when I see them!_
> 
>  
> 
> _***Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural, I just like to run rampant in it's world._

 

 

“Okay, first of all, I know you're mad-“

“Understatement.”

“Look, if you just let me explain I-“

“Explain what!? You storm out of here, that was bad enough, but then I call you to discuss your less than stellar behavior and do I get an answer? No. No I do not. What if there had been an emergency?! What if something had happened to Chloe?! You think that you can just take off when you’re angry, that no one cares what you do but I care Dean! I need you! I can’t do this by myself!”

Cas ran a hand through his hair and tried to control his breathing. He hadn’t intended to say all of that but somehow after his call to Dean had gone unanswered he’d gotten angrier and angrier until by the time Dean got home he’d been seething. Dean, for his part, looked appropriately shamefaced.

“Cas, look I know this baby stuff is tough but she’s only been here a day. We’ll figure this-“

“No Dean. I’m not talking just about Chloe. I…I don’t know what I’m doing. I thought that all of those years observing humanity…I thought I’d know what to do but I don’t. I don’t know how to do things or take care of things! I don’t know what I’m feeling! I just…I didn’t expect that it would be like this. I used to have a purpose. I used to have angelic orders or there was a threat to be defeated. But now there’s just living and I don’t know how to do that!” Cas suddenly felt tired. He hated it. He never felt tired before but now just a few minutes of shouting and he felt tired deep in his chest and in his bones.

Dean took a few tentative steps forward.

“Cas. Cas look at me. I’m sorry, man. I’m so so sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I left.  I just…reacted. I was wrong. I was a douche. I shouldn’t have just taken off and left you here with Chloe, that wasn’t cool. I’m just…I’m dealing with some stuff right now and no, I don’t want to talk about it, and it’s not an excuse but I don’t know. I just…sometimes don’t handle that kind of stuff well. And I had no idea that you had all that going on. I thought when you were ready you’d talk to me about it. I know I’m not much for feelings but if you need to talk or you’re dealing with some stuff you can talk to me, man. Or, you know, Sam if you don’t want to talk to me, but somebody. Look, don’t tell Sam I said this but, you know…sometimes it helps just to talk about it. I dunno. I’m bad at this. But I’m there for you Cas. And if you need something or you need to talk about what’s going on with you, you gotta know you can always come to me. And I’m really really sorry about taking off. That, uh, that wasn’t….you know…that was pretty shitty.”

Dean had, for the latter part of his apology, been addressing the floor. When he finally looked up Cas was staring at him as if he’d magically grown fuzzy purple antlers in the last three minutes.

“Uh..Cas? You…you okay? Buddy?”

“Dean Winchester. Did you just apologize to me?” Cas asked incredulously.

“Yeeees…” Dean replied hesitantly. When Cas’s eyes bugged out at the admission it occurred to Dean to be slightly offended. “You know what?! What is with people tonight? I can apologize when I’m in the wrong!”

Cas didn’t look convinced. “Uh, historically, no. That has not been my experience of you. “

“Hey man. I just apologized. From the heart.” Dean pointed theatrically at his chest. “So you can take it or leave it. I meant what I said.”

Cas’s face softened. Dean had apologized. A sincere apology. He swallowed his astonishment and smiled warmly.

“Yes. Yes you did. Thank you Dean. I…I believe this is the human custom after an apology has been offered…” And to Dean’s surprise and astonishment Cas hugged him.

It was easily the most awkward hug Dean had ever received. Cas’s arms were stiff, his torso rigid as though he had read about the act of hugging but had never had any formal practice. Dean had to smile a little bit to himself.

Slowly he hugged Cas back. As he snaked his arms around the slightly shorter man’s waist he took a soft breath.

Cas started easing into the hug a little bit and Dean noticed he smelled clean like soap and a little like baking spice and pine. Dean assumed the pine was from all the nature walks Cas was always taking but he couldn’t really figure out where the baking spices had come from.

Whatever it was Dean liked it.

Just as he was beginning to question the manliness of that sentiment he heard Cas’s gravelly voice in his ear.

“I’m not sure what is more difficult to get my head around. The fact that you apologized, your willingly inviting a discussion about feelings, or that you are actually hugging me back right now.”

Dean scowled. Slowly he realized that there was a good chance he had just been had. He could practically hear the grin on the wiley douchebag’s face at the prospect of having tricked Dean into a chick flick moment.

“Oh you know what!? You can fuck right off.” He grumbled as he disentangled himself from Cas’s hug.

And Cas, the bastard, was actually trying to stifle laughter. Laughter! Dean crossed his arms over his chest and did his best to look extremely miffed.

Once Cas had gained control of himself he walked over and placed a hand on Dean’s arm, his eyes bright with the recent laughter.

“Dean, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. You know if our places were reversed you’d have done the same thing.”

He wasn’t wrong. It had actually been a pretty slick trick on Cas’s part and he totally deserved it.

“Yeah, well, I guess it was a little funny. Fine. You’re forgiven.” Dean replied grudgingly.

“Okay. And Dean I know I’ve been making jokes at your expense but I do really appreciate the apology and the offer to talk. Of course I know you’re there for me. I guess I just lost sight of that. Maybe I’ll take you up on the offer sometime. I just didn’t want to burden you.”

Dean moved both of his hands to rest on Cas’s shoulders.

“Cas, it’s not a burden. You’re my best friend. If you’ve got something going on, you’ve got something going on and I’ll be there for you. As long as you don’t make little stunts like that a regular thing.” Dean said with a slight smile. Cas smiled back.

“ Well. I don’t know if I can promise that but I appreciate the kind sentiments. Thank you Dean. “

“No problem, man. Now c’mon. I’m starving and we’ve still gotta try to get some more baby food into Miss Picky Eater over there. How was she anyway?” he asked indicating Chloe who was trying to eat her own hand.

“Uh, well, there was an incident right after you left but we…well, Kevin, figured it out. “

“Oh that’s good,” Dean said as he walked over to the swing and lifted Chloe out. He balanced her on his hip and turned to face Cas while trying to coax her chubby fist out of her mouth.

“Where is Kev anyway?”

“Um. I think he might have sensed an inclement confrontation and taken cover. So to speak “

Dean looked at Cas questioningly so he tried to elaborate.

“Well. When you didn’t pick up I was…not amused. And I may have said some…not nice …things. Perhaps about you. So I think he may have taken that as an indication that it would be a good idea to not be here when you got home.”

“Ah. Well, that’s…uh. Huh.” In spite of himself Dean was impressed. “So what did you say about me?”

“Believe me, you don’t want to know.” Cas stated darkly as he grabbed the take-out bags and sauntered toward the kitchen.

Dean watched him walk away with a grin.

Damn.


	9. Rick James, Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hey guys, I'm alive! I am so so sorry for this unplanned hiatus. All I can tell you is that this chapter did NOT want to happen. But I drug it here kicking and screaming for you to read and enjoy because I love you. It's a little short but I figured it had been so long since an update and I just wanted to get you SOMETHING. (There were also the holidays and I got a cold and stuff but whatever. The important thing is I'm back!)_
> 
> _Now in light of this whole hiatus situation, I decided to start a Tumblr so that if it's been a while since an update, I can keep you guys in the loop and shower you with gifs and respond to any questions/comments/concerns and you can pester me for updates and so forth. So I think AO3 is kinda weird about links but my Tumblr is just this same username. So enjoy and get over there quick cause I think I have exactly 0 followers and it's getting' lonely over there!_
> 
> _As for updates, I think we can go on a more regular update schedule (but I have been wrong about that before) since I've been carving out a little bit of time each evening to write so we'll see how that goes! I think that's everything!_
> 
> _As always comment away, my lambs! I love to hear from you!_
> 
> _Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural but if I did I would hug it close to me and whisper sweet nothings to it always._

 

 

 

 

“Kevin! Get your ass in here! War’s over! I brought cheeseburgers!” Dean shouted.

“Honestly, Dean?” Cas asked exasperatedly as he tried to gently wrestle Chloe in to her high chair.

“What?”

“Would it really trouble you to try to be a little couth and ask him to come in to dinner nicely?”

“What? I’m like the poster boy of couth.”

“We have differing opinions on that point.”

“Oh Cas c’mon! Arrow to the heart, man. Where the hell is Kevin? What’s taking so long? KEVIN! MOM AND DAD ARE DONE FIGHTING! FOODS ON THE TABLE! CHOP CHOP!”

“Dean you’re a complete savage.” Cas said with a eyeroll.

“What’s that? Fighting words from the guy being strong-armed by a baby?”

“Well you come over here and do it then if you think it’s so easy. She knows you’re going to try and force some more of that awful food in her mouth.”

“Here. Lemmie me see her. You set out the burgers.” Dean walked over to Cas and put an arm around the struggling Chloe who kicked and fussed in protest. As their arms brushed together in the hand over Dean averted his eyes and only glanced back up when Cas walked over to the table and started doling out burgers.

Chloe squirmed and wrestled as Dean tried to negotiate her little legs into the high chair. Maybe Cas was right. Maybe she sensed imminent pureed carrots. She also must have sensed that Dean’s attention was divided because she took that opportunity to swipe one little pudgy fist at his nose.

“Hey! Watch it there!” Dean protested as Chloe started to fuss. Cas smirked and stood back to watch Dean struggle.

“Not so easy is it?” he said with a grin.

Dean glared over his shoulder.

“Not a word. Just get over here and help me.”

A grin tugged at the corners of Cas’s mouth but he said nothing as he moved over to Dean’s side.

“Alright,” Dean started , seemingly steeling himself as though they were going in to battle “You get that leg and arm and I’ll get this one. Stand behind her and put one hand under her butt to support her and then move her leg with your free hand. I’ll do the same on my side. With any luck she should just slide in. Ready?”

Cas nodded.

“Okay. One…two…three…go!”

They lifted and maneuvered and miraculously the whole thing went off just as Dean said it would. Cas was just turning to congratulate him when the fussing and whimpering started.

“Oh. Oh no. Dean I think maybe we should take her out of the chair.”

“No way, man. What did I say about negotiating with terrorists?”

“Yes,” Cas said with an eyeroll, “And that worked out really well for us earlier as I recall.”

“No, here, wait let’s just pop in the baby tranquilizer and we’re good to…uh oh.” “What?”

Dean winced. “It’s not here. “

Cas did a cursory look around the kitchen. “She must have dropped it in the living room.”

“Hey, good thinking Cas!” Dean said with a grin. “I’ll go get it.”

In a moment he was back with one pacifier and a grin on his face. He triumphantly put the pacifier in Chloe’s little mouth. For a moment she looked surprised and Cas thought that maybe it really was magical after all but then she spit it out and as it rolled to the floor pitiful cries started sounding from her lungs.

Dean, not to be deterred, picked it up, strode purposefully to the sink, washed it and tried again. A second later the pacifier dropped to the floor and tears were rolling down Chloe’s cheeks.

Cas and Dean could only look at each other in horror. They had not prepared for this situation.

“Dean…what do we do?”

“You think I know!?”

“You’re supposed to be the expert!”

“ Yeah well the pacifier was my trump card! And now she doesn’t want it.”

“Well what did you do when Sam was a baby?”

“Uh…well I used to pull faces at him. He thought that was funny. But I was a kid too, man, that’s just what kids do to each other.”

Dean was about to start racking his brain for other things he did to cheer up Sam as a baby but his whole train of thought was derailed when Cas stuck out his tongue.

“Uhm. What are you doing?”

“Making funny faces. “ Cas replied, deadpan as ever. Next he tried scrunching his face up and then opening his mouth wide. It was the worst attempt at making a funny face Dean had ever seen but somehow it was endearing. Dean ambled over to Cas and nudged his side.

“Here, I guess it’s worth a try but I think your form needs a little work. Watch.”

Dean crossed his eyes and stretched his mouth out to the side, tongue lolling out. Chloe seemed to take interest.

Heartened, Dean puffed out his cheeks and wiggled his fingers next to his ears.

Chloe was still fussy but the crying had stopped.

Cas watched the whole thing as if he were studying an ancient text and then situated himself next to Dean.

“What about this?” he asked as he stuck his arms out to his side and moved them as if he were mimicking a wave.

“Hey, yeah, look she likes it!” Dean said with a warm smile. “Here, let’s up our game a little bit.”

He walked over to the ipod speakers that Sam had bought when they’d moved in to the bunker and queued up a song. Chuckling to himself he turned to Cas and said

“I can’t believe Sam has this song on here.”

 

*

Kevin poked his head around the corner tentatively and listened for shouting.

Nothing.

Dean had called him to dinner in his typically charming fashion but Kevin wasn’t about to get caught in the middle of a Dean versus Cas verbal smackdown. As he ventured out of his room he could hear the strains of a familiar sounding song but couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

His curiosity piqued, he made his way to the kitchen but when he rounded the corner he had a hard time believing what he saw before him.

Chloe was sitting in a high chair laughing and pounding her little chubby fists on the tray while Cas stood in front of her with his tongue out and his arms waving and head bobbing side to side. Dean stood next to him doing a surprisingly good Running Man and as Kevin watched, mouth agape, the song hit it’s chorus and he realized what it was- Super Freak by Rick James.

Just as he was trying to come to grips with the scene before him Dean threw his arms in the air and executed an exaggerated pirouette stopping cold when he saw that he and Cas had an audience. Immediately he straightened up and feigned nonchalance while elbowing Cas in the ribs.

“What Dean?” Cas asked breathlessly.

“Cas…” Dean answered jerking his head in Kevin’s direction.

“What…” Cas asked again slowly turning around, “Oh. _Oh_.”

Dean reached over slowly and turned off the ipod speakers.

Nobody spoke for a few moments or made eye contact, not even Chloe who appeared to be surveying the room with interest.

Finally, when Kevin felt they would soon be able to cut the tension in the room with a knife, Cas snickered. That was all it took. Soon their bodies were shaking with laughter and they were all gasping for breath.

“You…you…with the Running Man!” Kevin choked out.

“Dude…hahaha….dude you missed it.! I had Cas doing the Bernie earlier!” Dean replied, tears of mirth forming in the corners of his eyes.

Cas, for his part couldn’t even say anything. He had laughed so hard that his ribs hurt and he was just fighting to breathe through the laughter that wouldn’t stop, his arms clutching his sides.

“Whoo,” Dean breathed out, “I haven’t laughed like that in…jeez, maybe ever. Cas? Cas, buddy, you okay?”

All Cas could do was nod helplessly; he was still trying to catch his breath and wipe tears from his eyes.

“Soooo…burgers?” Kevin asked hopefully, noticing the large paper bag on the table.

“Yep. Burgers. I’ll grab some baby food for Chloe. Dammit. Fuckin’ Rick James, man. “ Dean laughed, seemingly to himself.

 


	10. In Over Your Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Betcha thought I abandoned you,huh? Nope! I just fell into a big enormous pile of grad school! Yay! I have been working on this chapter for months whenever I could steal a little time and I'm finally ready to post this bad boy. I have every intention of finishing this sucker and will not leave you hanging (pinky promise!) but updates may be intermittent until I finish my full time book learnin' in May. Please stick with me! Your comments and kudos have kept me alive! I love you all and am suuuuper sorry for the long hiatus. Also this is a Sam chapter so there's that. But the next one is more Dean and Cas so sit tight!_
> 
> _Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural but if I did we would not be messing about with Billie the Reaper, I can tell you that! Stay away from mah babies Billie!_

Sam rubbed his neck as he sat down in the musty motel room. As expected, the place looked as though it hadn’t had any updates to the décor since 1980 and the Formica on the bathroom counter was peeling. 

Well. It would have to do. He rifled through the nightstand drawer and found a collection of paper menus for area diners. He thought about just picking one at random but remembered that there had been a dive-y looking bar on his way into town. Maybe their kitchen was still open and he could get a beer. He had a little cash on him so he decided to go for it.

He left the room lights on and walked out the door to the parking lot. He felt a little bad about wasting the motel’s electricity since he was planning on paying them with a fake credit card but he and Dean had been jumped in motel rooms enough times that he felt better leaving it on.

He pulled into the parking lot of The Four Horsemen Pub a few minutes later and grimaced at the name. He almost changed his mind and turned the car around just on principle but after catching a whiff of the amazing smell of food wafting from the door he decided to grit his teeth and deal with it in favor of satisfying hunger. 

The parking lot held a variety of motorcycles, a couple pickup trucks, two or three run of the mill four doors, and one van that stood out like a sore thumb partly because it was a.) a van and b.) festooned in the sort of washable window paint applied liberally to cars at sporting events. Although, based on the loopy text scrawled across all the windows and the semi-lewd drawings that accompanied it, Sam felt pretty certain that this van was not intended to root for the home team so much as it was to ferry a bachelorette party along on a night of raucous partying. 

Well, so much for a quiet dinner. 

When he got inside the place was about the same as your garden-variety dive. There was the expected bar area with several patrons sitting on stools nursing drinks, two pool tables towards the back, and between, some seating surrounded by walls decorated in neon beer signs and a few photographs. 

The bachelorette party had commandeered one of the pool tables and the end of the bar. There was about eight of them total, all wearing a pile of Mardi Gras beads and one of them, who was obviously the bride to be, was crowned in a waist length rhinestone studded veil. Sam didn’t know much about bachelorette parties but he couldn’t imagine why they’d have come to this bar of all places. 

It wasn’t the sort of place that was likely to serve cocktails. Still he shrugged and pulled up an empty seat at the bar. The kitchen was apparently still open so he ordered a burger and a beer and turned his attention to the crappy tv mounted in the corner while he waited. He was just starting to make out that it was a college football game (and that the home team was losing by quite a bit if the groans of the other people watching were any indication) when he felt someone slide onto the stool next to him.

She was a shorter woman with light brown hair cropped just at her shoulders wearing a t-shirt, a pair of dark jeans, and enough Mardi Gras beads to obscure whatever logo was on her shirt. She sighed when he looked over to her.

“They’re still getting slaughtered, huh? “ she asked nodding at the tv.

“Oh…” Sam started. “Uh, yeah, seems like it.”

“Psh. Typical. Never could win more than two games in a season altogether.”

When she shifted in her seat Sam could just make out that the logo on her shirt seemed pretty similar to the one of the home team.

“You’re a fan huh?” he asked pointing to her shirt.

“Huh? Oh yeah.” She grimaced. “I should get my hoodie out of the van. It’ll be an embarrassment to be seen out in this now after that performance.”

Sam smiled a little at her exasperation.  
“So… you’re with the bachelorette party?” he asked.

“Oh, how could you tell?” she joked picking at a strand of beads in disgust. “Unfortunately, Tammy seemed to think they would be funny. And she’s the bride, you know.”

“And I guess that makes you the designated driver, huh?” Sam asked noting that she didn’t have a drink.

“Oh, no, that would be poor Dana.” She replied pointing to the woman sitting in a chair near the pool table laughing weakly as the bride drunkenly tried to get a ball in the corner pocket. “She has a baby coming in just a few months so the job was hers by default. I would be the unlucky sucker who got handed extra hours at work last week so what was supposed to be an evening of reckless abandon turned into a few hours of watching friends get drunk and pretend they know how to play pool.”

“Oh man,” Sam winced, “that sucks.”

“Tell me about it. And now these idiots have cemented their fifteen year losing streak so it’s kinda all been a crapshoot.”

“Damn. Sorry to hear that. I know you have to work but can I, like, buy you a beer or something?”

“Is it a making-your-move-beer or an I’m-sorry-your-night-is-shit pity beer?” She had a soft grin and Sam smiled. She seemed genuine and funny and like someone who just needed to catch a break. He knew only too well what that was like.

“Can it be both?” he asked.

She gave him an appraising once-over with a cocked eyebrow and then propped her elbows on the bar tiredly. “Yeah, I guess that’d be alright.”

“Okay, cool.” Sam motioned to the bartender who came over a got the girl a beer. She sipped it thoughtfully and thanked Sam.

“So,” Sam started, “It’s not any of my business but you seem like you have more on your mind than a football game and an early morning.”

“That obvious, huh? Let’s just say it’s been a really bad week. Anyway, you just bought me a beer and there’s no way you want to be sitting here listening to me complain so why don’t we talk about something else? Your name maybe?”

“Oh, sorry, yeah it’s Sam. And won’t your friends be missing you…”

“ Erin, and probably not at the rate Tammy’s going. This is our third stop, it’s where she met Greg and we were meant to go on to two other places still but it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen.” She explained nodding to Tammy who was now standing on a chair using the pool cue as a microphone to sing some country/pop song into.

“Think she’ll remember any of this tomorrow?” Sam asked.

“Doesn’t matter. They’ve been taking pictures all night so if she doesn’t remember, Instagram will.

Sam coughed into his beer a little in laughter. “Oh, God. I guess that’s what friends are for huh?”

“I guess. So what’s your story? What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

“Ah…work I guess you could say.”

“Oh? What is it you do?”

Sam was trying to think of a good response when there was commotion by the pool tables. They both turned to see what had happened and caught a glimpse of the scene as Erin winced.

“Ooh, that’s gonna bruise tomorrow. That’s what she gets for climbing that chair, though.” Erin said as some of the other bridesmaids tried to pick Tammy up from where she had careened to the floor.

“Is she gonna be okay?” Sam asked gingerly.

“Yeah…yeah looks like it. “  
It took three bridesmaids to herd Tammy to the door and as they were just managing to get her through the doorframe a fourth bridesmaid, Dana the Designated Driver came over to where Erin and Sam were sitting.

“Hey Erin, so we’re gonna take Tammy home before an ambulance has to, you coming?”

Erin looked at Sam with that appraising eye again and shook her head.  
“Nah, I think I’m gonna hang around here a little longer.”

“Okay honey, be safe, make good choices blah blah blah. I wouldn’t normally leave a girlfriend behind but she’s three sheets to the wind and you know how to handle yourself. And you-“ she said, pointing at Sam, “You watch yourself. I have pepper spray and she has my number on speed dial.’ Somehow she managed to put more menace into the statement than someone her size should be able to, Sam thought.

He put his hands up in mock surrender. “Point taken,” he said and she seemed satisfied.

The girls said their goodnights and Dana took off after the others.

In the commotion is seemed Erin had forgotten that she had asked Sam a question and he was silently thankful. He could have made up any number of clever stories or invented convincing professions but he just didn’t have the heart for it. That was more Dean’s thing- tell a girl you’re an FBI agent, flash a fake badge, disappear before morning. 

Well. It had been Dean’s thing. Not so much lately. Or for a while, actually. 

Suddenly, Sam realized he had been staring at the door in silence. He turned back to Erin and gave her the patent moment-after-an-awkward-moment smile. 

“Wow. Dana scared you that bad, huh? “ She asked with a grin.

“Uh, well you know, she seemed pretty committed” Sam answered, trying to play it off.

“Oh don’t worry about her. She was right- I do know how to take care of myself.”

“Oh, do you uh...do MMA or something? Should I be worried?” Sam asked. Was he in over his head here?

She laughed at his wary expression.   
“Something like that,” she said through her laughter, “Sorry, I just really needed that laugh. Whoo boy. I’ll tell you what- since you’ve been the bright spot in an otherwise craptastic week, I’ll go easy on you.”

Sam watched her easy smile as she ran a hand through her hair. 

Was he is over his head here? 

Yes. Yes he was.

___

As the door to the motel room slammed shut two things became very clear to Sam. 

The first thing was that there was a woman in front of him who was quickly removing her tshirt. 

The second thing was that it had been a while for him and he was way out of his league. 

If he hadn’t been privy to the true nature of angels he might have sent up a silent prayer. Not that there would be anyone there to receive it but still. 

He ran a hand through his hair. 

He took a breath. 

He was going in.


End file.
